Royal Page Davidson
| Royal Page Davidson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
October 9, 1870 Somerville, New Jersey |
| Died | January 16, 1943 (age 72) Northwestern Military and Naval Academy |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Educator / inventor |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Clara M. Coldwell married July 4, 1892 Dover, New Hampshire |
| Parent(s) | Harlan Page Davidson Adelaide S. Ford |
Royal Page Davidson (October 9, 1870 – January 16, 1943) was an American educator and inventor.
Davidson was born in Somerville, New Jersey on October 9, 1870. His early basic education was in a country public school.
Davidson attended the Massachusetts Agricultural College and the University of Wisconsin. He also attended Northwestern Military and Naval Academy and graduated from there in 1889.
Davidson was commandant of Northwestern Military and Naval Academy from 1892 to 1912. He was its secretary and treasurer from 1912 to 1914. Davidson was their superintendent and president from 1914 to 1939. His father Harlan Page Davidson started the Academy.
Davidson organized the first military Bicycle Corps in 1894. It consisted of cadets from the Northwestern Military Academy. Davidson developed the military bicycle corps in the hope that the bicycle would speed up the movement of troops. Davidson staged a cross-country 850 mile expedition to Washington, D.C in the summer of 1897. The maneuvers were done in a military practice as if the Bicycle Corps were traveling in enemy territory. The expedition took 15 days and had much national publicity. Davidson offered the government the services of his Bicycle Corps when the Spanish–American War broke out. He was turned down since the military bicycles had minimum firepower and showed it left the bicycle-rider exposed to retaliation. The new automobile that was being innovated at the time showed better combat possibilities, if it could be properly armed and protected against enemy firepower.
Davidson was the leading pioneer of armored military vehicles in the United States starting in 1898. He is described as the inventor of the first military vehicle in United States. He made a three-wheeled automobile armed with a gun carriage in 1899. There were many newspaper articles at the time with imaginative stories and drawings of Davidson's military vehicle. Davidson's gasoline military vehicle was much simpler than their futuristic drawings. Later it was developed into the Automobile Battery armored car. Today's historians can trace the lineage of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle back to Davidson's vehicles. Davidson is considered "The Father of American armored cars."
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