Floyd C. Davis

First president of New Mexico School of Mines

New Mexico Tech acquired this photograph of our first president, Floyd Davis, through the generosity of his grandson, Ralph Davis, Jr., of Vail, Colo. Ralph visited us in early 1999, seeking information on his grandfather. It turned out he had more information than we did.

Floyd Davis was born on a farm near Ithaca, N.Y., and attended Ohio State University, studying chemistry and mathematics. He later went to the University of Missouri at Rolla's School of Mines and to Johns Hopkins, although the younger Davis wasn't sure what degrees Floyd got. Floyd then taught at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, where he was "kicked out by Southerners for being a Yankee." He was in Blacksburg in 1884, when his son was born.

Floyd Davis came to the New Mexico School of Mines in 1893 to be its first president. We know that he fell into a dispute with the Board of Regents and was asked to resign in 1894, but a search of Socorro newspapers of the era does not reveal why.

After that, Floyd Davis worked as a chemical engineer, purifying the water that the city discharged into Lake Michigan, which was also the source of their drinking water. He apparently had a very successful career.

(Also see Chap. 6: To Build Thee More Stately Mansions.)