David Davis: The Power Broker Who Helped Make Abraham Lincoln President

History tends to spotlight giants. But every so often, you find the figure just outside the frame—the one making things happen.

That’s David Davis.

In conversation with Chicago writer Tom Barnas, author Raymond J. McKoski brings Davis into focus in his biography, David Davis, Abraham Lincoln’s Favorite Judge. The book traces how Davis, a close ally of Abraham Lincoln, helped engineer one of the most pivotal moments in American history.

At the 1860 Republican National Convention, Davis worked behind the scenes—cutting deals, counting votes, and outmaneuvering rivals—to secure Lincoln’s presidential nomination. It wasn’t luck. It was strategy. Lincoln rewarded that loyalty with a seat on the Supreme Court of the United States in 1862. But Davis didn’t stay loyal in the way presidents might hope. On the bench, he built a reputation for strict impartiality—even when it meant ruling against Lincoln-era policies during the American Civil War.

That tension is where McKoski’s book thrives.

Davis wasn’t just Lincoln’s ally—he was a counterweight. A trusted insider who could also say no. Behind the scenes, he even served as a quiet backchannel, helping the administration avoid damaging legal missteps without compromising judicial independence.

The result is a portrait of influence without ego—a man who shaped a presidency, then stepped away from it when principle demanded.

Concise, sharp, and deeply researched, McKoski’s work reframes David Davis not as a footnote, but as a force—one whose impact still echoes in how we think about power, politics, and the courts.