Davis, Henry Gassaway

(1823 – 1916) was a millionaire and Senator from West Virginia.
He was a railroad executive before branching out into coal mining and banking as founder of the Potomac and Piedmont Coal and Railway Company. Davis served as U.S. Senator from 1871 to 1883. After his tenure in the Senate ended, Davis continued to grow his business interests. He created the Davis Coal and Coke Company and led it to become one of the largest coal companies in the world.
The 1904 Democratic National Convention nominated a ticket of Alton B. Parker for president and Davis for vice president. Davis was chosen primarily for his ability to provide funding to the campaign. At 80 years old, he remains the oldest person to ever serve on a major party’s national ticket. The Republican ticket of Theodore Roosevelt and Charles W. Fairbanks prevailed by a wide margin.