David R. Francis
| Columbia Encyclopedia: David Rowland Francis |
Francis, David Rowland, 1850-1927, U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1896-97), b. Richmond, Ky. He established a large grain business in St. Louis, entered politics, and served (1885-89) as mayor in a reform administration and later (1889-93) as governor of Missouri. As a member of President Cleveland's cabinet, he obtained a presidential proclamation setting aside millions of acres as forest reserves. Francis was a leading promoter and official of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1903-4. He became ambassador to Russia in 1916 and remained at his post after the Russian Revolution in efforts to keep Russia united with the Allies. He wrote Russia from the American Embassy (1921, repr. 1970); his memoirs and letters were published in 1928.
| Artist: David "Panama" Francis |
Worked With:
Ernie Hayes,
Lloyd Trotman ,
Haywood Henry,
Everett Barksdale,
Bobby Byrd,
Wallace Richardson ,
Milt Hinton,
Budd Johnson,
James Brown,
Ernie Royal,
Sam "The Man" Taylor,
Seldon Powell,
Mickey Baker
- Born: December 21, 1918, Miami, FL
- Died: November 11, 2001, Orlando, FL
- Genres: Rhythm & Blues
- Instrument: Drums
Biography
With a long and winding career that stretched throughout a total of seven decades, drummer David "Panama" Francis has been featured both in top Harlem nightclubs and legendary rock songs over the years. Born in Miami, Francis began playing his instrument with the drum and bugle corps around the area by the age of eight. This led to a full-time gig with George Kelly's Cavaliers as a teenager, before relocating to New York City (Francis was given his nickname by trumpeter Roy Eldridge, due to his fondness for a certain Panama hat). Francis first rose to prominence in the late '30s, when he was a member of the Savoy Sultans, a Harlem-based group that was once crowned the Best Big Band by the New York Jazz Society, received a pair of Grammy nominations and was praised by Dizzy Gillespie as "the swingingest band there ever was."By the 1950s, Francis focused on studio work, as he quickly became one of the top studio drummers of the entire era, playing on early rock & roll classics by such artists as Buddy Holly ("Peggy Sue"), the Four Seasons ("Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man"), the Platters ("Only You," "The Great Pretender," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," and "My Prayer"), Bobby Darin ("Splish Splash"), and Neil Sedaka ("Calendar Girl"). But Francis' true background lay in jazz (he backed such leading jazz artists as Benny Goodman and Joe Williams) and R&B, as he revisited his roots on such recordings as "Prisoner of Love" by James Brown, "What a Difference a Day Makes" by Dinah Washington, "Drown in My Own Tears" by Ray Charles, and "Jim Dandy" by Laverne Baker. Over the years, Francis landed several bit parts in motion pictures, including such films as The Learning Tree, Lady Sings the Blues, and Angel Heart, and in 1999, published his autobiography, David Gets His Drum, before succumbing to a stroke on November 11, 2001, at the age of 82. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
| Wikipedia: David R. Francis |
| David Rowland Francis | |
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| In office September 3, 1896 – March 5, 1897 |
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| Preceded by | M. Hoke Smith |
| Succeeded by | Cornelius Newton Bliss |
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| In office January 14, 1889 – January 9, 1893 |
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| Preceded by | Albert P. Morehouse |
| Succeeded by | William Joel Stone |
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| In office 1885 – 1889 |
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| Preceded by | William L. Ewing |
| Succeeded by | Edward A. Noonan |
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| Born | October 1, 1850 Richmond, Kentucky |
| Died | January 15, 1927 (aged 76) St. Louis, Missouri |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Jane P. Francis |
| Alma mater | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Profession | Politician, Merchant |
David Rowland Francis (October 1, 1850 – January 15, 1927) was an American politician. He served in various positions including Mayor of Saint Louis, Governor of Missouri, and United States Secretary of the Interior. He was the U.S. Ambassador to Russia between 1916 and 1917, during the Russian Revolution of 1917. He was a Democrat.
Francis was born in Richmond, Kentucky, in 1850. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 1870 where he was number 2 on the rolls of the Alpha Iota Chapter of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He was a successful businessman in St. Louis and served as the president of the Merchant's Exchange. On a personal note, he was married to the former Jane Perry, a granddaughter of former Missouri State Treasurer James Earickson.[1]
He was elected the mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, in 1885. In 1888 he was elected Governor of Missouri, becoming the only Mayor of St. Louis to date elected Governor of the state. Francis served as the United States Secretary of the Interior under President Grover Cleveland between 1896 and 1897.
Francis was one of the main promoters of the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904, serving as President of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition.
President Woodrow Wilson appointed Francis as the U.S. Ambassador to Russia between 1916 and 1917, during the Russian Revolution of 1917.
Francis died in St. Louis January 15, 1927, and was buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery.
In 1895 the University of Missouri dedicated David R. Francis Quadrangle in honor of the former governor who is credited with keeping the university in Columbia after the fire of Academic Hall in 1892. Francis insisted that the state's land-grant university remain in a central location, rather than moving to Sedalia, as many state legislators desired. Instead, Sedalia was awarded the Missouri State Fair as compensation. A bronze bust of Francis' face sits at the south end of Francis Quad near the steps of Jesse Hall. A popular MU student tradition is to rub Governor Francis' nose before taking a test in order to get an 'A.'
Francis Field, the track/soccer/football stadium at Washington University in St. Louis as well as the adjacent Gymnasium are named in Francis' honor. Francis Field was the site of the 1904 Olympic Games.
In 1916 he gave 60 acres of land to the city of Saint Louis as a Christmas gift. Today it is a park that bears his name.[2]
Further reading
- Barnes, Harper. 2001. Standing on a volcano: the life and times of David Rowland Francis. St. Louis: Missouri Historical Society Press in association with the Francis Press. ISBN 1883982138
- Francis, David Rowland, and Jamie H. Cockfield. 1981. Dollars and diplomacy: Ambassador David Rowland Francis and the fall of tsarism, 1916-17. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press.
- Francis, David Rowland, Robert Chadwell Williams, and Robert Lester. 1986. Russia in transition: the diplomatic papers of David R. Francis, U.S. Ambassador to Russia, 1916-1918. Frederick, Md: University Publications of America.
References
External links
- David R. Francis at St. Louis Public Library: St. Louis Mayors.
- Standing on a Volcano: The Life and Times of David R. Francis by Harper Barnes, October 2001. ISBN 1-883982-17-0.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William L. Ewing |
Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri 1885 – 1889 |
Succeeded by Edward Noonan |
| Preceded by Albert P. Morehouse |
Governor of Missouri 1889 – 1893 |
Succeeded by William Joel Stone |
| Preceded by Michael Hoke Smith |
United States Secretary of the Interior 1896 – 1897 |
Succeeded by Cornelius Newton Bliss |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by George T. Marye |
United States Ambassador to Russia 1916 - 1917 |
Succeeded by Last ambassador to Russian Empire |
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Mentioned in
- Louisiana Purchase Exposition (American history)
- U.S. Military Intervention in Russia, 1917–20
- Daniel Read (academic)
- David Francis
