Henry Davison (judge)

Sir Henry Davison (16 March 1805 – 4 November 1860)^[2] was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Madras in British India from 1859 to 1860.^[3]

Sir Henry Davison
Chief Justice of the Madras High Court
In office 1859–1860
Preceded by	Sir Christopher Rawlinson
Succeeded by	Sir Colley Harman Scotland
Personal details
Born	16 March 1805 London, England
Died	4 November 1860 Ootacamund, British India[1]
Occupation	lawyer, judge
Profession	Chief Justice

The fourth son of Thomas Davison, of St Bride's, Fleet Street,^[4] City of London, Davison was educated at Trinity College, Oxford (B.A. 1829, M.A. 1834), and called to the Bar from the Middle Temple in 1834.^[2]

Having been a puisne judge at Madras (sworn in 16 March 1857),^[5] Davison was appointed Chief Justice in March 1859,^[6] but did not serve for long, dying at Ootacamund on 4 November 1860.^[7] William Makepeace Thackeray affectionately dedicated his historical novel The Virginians (published from 1857 to 1859) to Davison.^[8][9]

Davison was married and had issue; his daughter, Emily Jane, married the organist Philip Armes in 1864.^[10][11][12]