Jeff Davis (1883-1968) was an itinerant worker and self-described “King of the Hoboes.” Starting around 1900 Davis traveled extensively across the world. As was common among poor or homeless travelers in the early 20th century, he often hitchhiked or stowed away on trains, buses, or ships. He worked as he traveled, taking odd jobs when he could. In 1913, Davis established the “Hotel de Gink” in Seattle. The Hotel was a hostel for itinerant workers and men without housing and was managed by its residents. It fed, sheltered, and provided employment assistance for up to 1,500 men at a time. The Hotel de Gink in Seattle closed in 1915 after conflict with city officials and running out of money, but others like it appeared in cities across the US in the following years. Davis was the leader of a group known variously as the International Itinerant Workers’ Union, the Hoboes of America, and the Knights of the Road, Air, and Seven Seas. Under his leadership, the group organized itinerant workers to lobby against vagrancy laws, promote employment opportunities in construction and road work, and established a code of conduct governing the members. They also raised money from members for charitable donations.

This image shows Jeff Davis in Seattle during a visit in 1953. By this time, many members of the Hoboes of America were more financially secure. Davis claimed there were so many cars at their 1952 convention that parking space was scarce. The organization donated $3,000 to the Ballard Hospital that year.

Caption information source: “Hoboes now gents; bums in Washington,” by James Carrell, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, July 24, 1953, page 12.
Caption information source: “Hobo King here on realm tour,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 12, 1964, page 5.
Caption information source: “Hotel de Gink (Seattle),” by Sinan Demirel, HistoryLink, retrieved from https://www.historylink.org/File/3849.