Born in Wisconsin and raised there and in Walla Walla, Washington, John Davis (1863-1917) moved to Seattle in 1887 where he founded his eponymous real estate brokerage. Following the panic of 1893, Mr. Davis expanded into property management, mortgages, loans, and insurance sales. The company grew steadily into one of the largest real estate corporations on the West Coast, and continued for several decades after his death. In 1915 Mr. Davis married Margaret B. Smith (1890-1973), and they had one child, John Handley Davis (1916-2003).

This map from Kroll Map Company was prepared by John Davis & Co. and shows the stretch of North Broadway from East Denny Way to where East Roy Street meets 10th Avenue North. The map lists all numbered addresses along the route, with type of business or residence, owner of the building, and even the traffic light and stop signs at the Broadway and Olive Way and E. John St intersection.

Caption information source: "John Davis Passes Away While in Pasadena," The Seattle Daily Times, November 30, 1917, p. 3.