Originally, Davis worked as a lawyer in Baltimore, Maryland, and became an active member of the Whig Party.
In 1854, he was elected to the House of Representatives as a Know-Nothing Republican and was reelected in 1856 and 1858. During the American Civil War, Davis was disgusted with slavery and became a member of the Radical Republicans.
Davis returned to his law practice in Baltimore, and died on December 30, 1865.