Former Lake County judge authors book about Supreme Court justice, Lincoln confidant David Davis

Former Lake County judge Raymond J. McKoski visited the David Davis Mansion Historical Site in Bloomington by chance in 2007. He’d heard of the Lincoln-era Supreme Court Justice -- one of four Illinoisans ever -- but he had no idea this spur-of-the-moment visit would inspire an entire book.

“This was before there was Tripadvisor, and driving back (from Springfield), we were looking for a historical site to stop at,” McKoski said. “My wife saw in the guidebook the David Davis Mansion Historical Site in Bloomington.”

After a long career on the bench from 1985 to 2010, McKoski took to writing in retirement, and he’s now published two books since 2017. His most recent came out in late July, titled “David Davis, Abraham Lincoln’s Favorite Judge.”

After his first trip to Davis’ mansion, McKoski became fascinated by a figure he believes the general public does not know enough about -- particularly in Illinois.

Davis started as a traveling lawyer in the state, rising through the ranks at the same time as President Abraham Lincoln. The two became friends, and Davis would go on to be an important force in helping Lincoln get elected, using his connections in Illinois to garner support.

Despite his political prominence, Davis maintained an illustrious career as a lawyer and then a judge. McKoski says Davis’ ability to be active politically while displaying neutrality in the court room is one reason he felt more people needed to know more about him.

“(Davis was) a person with strong, fixed opinions -- he called them fixed opinions -- with lawyers he liked and didn’t like, with a lot of political connections and a lot of political work off the bench,” McKoski said. “How did this individual stay impartial on the bench, separating his off the bench, political and social life and feelings from his judicial duties?”

Davis was a Supreme Court Justice from 1862 until 1877, handing down decisions that impacted the entire country. But he’s also notable in Illinois history, serving a term in the state legislature.

“In 1847, he was elected. They had a state Constitutional convention, rewrote the state Constitution in 1847, and he was one of the delegates to that Constitutional convention,” McKoski said.

In 2010, Mckoski wrote an article centered around Davis in The Kentucky Law Journal.

“After I wrote that, I said, there’s a lot more about this individual that’s important --important for history, important for the public to know, important for lessons today -- than I covered,” McKoski said.

Published by University of Illinois Press, McKoski’s new 330-page book explores Davis’s life, his political and judicial impact, as well as his relationship with Lincoln.

Currently, “David Davis, Abraham Lincoln’s Favorite Judge” is available on Amazon in hard cover form for $50 and on Kindle for $9.95.