David Davis was born on April 5, 1845, in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, to Noah Davis and Margaret Gwynn. His parents were Welsh immigrants. His father worked as a blacksmith, and he died in 1859. The family moved to Hanover, Pennsylvania, sometime in the 1840s before settling in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, in the 1850s. Davis grew up and attended school there before beginning work at the Crane Iron Works. He became the company’s errand boy in January 1860 and eventually became a clerk. Davis enlisted in the Union army on June 30, 1863, and mustered into the 38th Pennsylvania Militia Infantry. He married Annie McKibbin around 1869, and they had at least five children: Charles, Willard, Bessie, Mabel, and Mattie.
Davis returned to the Crane Iron Works after leaving the army. He served as chief clerk for several years, and he became a cashier there in January 1892. He joined the Republican Party, and he was elected Recorded of Deeds for Lehigh County in 1905. He died in Catasauqua on June 25, 1917.