Richard Harding Davis was a journalist and writer of fiction and drama, known foremost as the first American war correspondent to cover the Spanish-American War, the Second Boer War, and the First World War. His writing greatly assisted the political career of Theodore Roosevelt and he also played a major role in the evolution of the American magazine. His influence extended to the world of fashion and he is credited with making the clean-shaven look popular among men at the turn of the 20th century. Davis was born on April 18, 1864 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His mother Rebecca Harding... Davis was a prominent writer in her day. His father, Lemuel Clarke Davis, was himself a journalist and edited the Philadelphia Public Ledger. He attended the Episcopal Academy, and then later Lehigh University and Johns Hopkins University. While at Lehigh, he is credited with establishing the Lehigh Football team and the resulting Lehigh-Lafayette Football Rivalry. He was asked to leave both Lehigh University and Johns Hopkins University for neglecting his studies in favor of his social life.
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