From 1776 to 1792, the executive leader of Delaware was known as the President and was elected by the State General Assembly. After the ratification of the United States Constitution, Delaware developed its own new constitution that called for the popular election of a governor.

JEHU DAVIS was born in Maryland around 1740. He and his wife Rhoda would later move to Laurel, Delaware to establish a farm and raise their family. When the Revolutionary War began, Davis joined the local militia. He also served as a justice of the peace for fourteen years and was elected to the First General Assembly in 1776. In 1788, he became Speaker. After Governor Collins died in office on March 29, 1789, Delaware’s constitution stipulated that the Speaker of the Senate should succeed to the governorship. However, that post was vacant at the time. As Speaker of the General Assembly, the succession instead fell to Davis. After his brief administration, Davis was appointed to a judgeship on the Common Pleas Court. Jehu Davis died of apoplexy in 1802 and was buried underneath the modern Delaware Route 14.

Exact date of birth is unknown