Davis was a successful merchant in Bristol trading with the West Indies. In 1810, he was said to have made £200,000 by "getting possession of all the Spanish wool in the kingdom".[2] In 1803, he joined the Society of Merchant Venturers in Bristol.
Parliamentary career
Davis was elected to Parliament in the 1807 general election as the MP for Colchester taking the seat from Whig MP William Tufnell. He didn't speak during this period until he stepped down from his seat allowing his son, Hart Davis, to take the seat. He was elected as MP for Bristol for 15 days before Parliament was dissolved for the 1812 general election where he received a personal letter from then Prime Minister Lord Liverpool who wished him luck in his election against the Radicals.[2]
