Eugene Davenport was born on June 20, 1856, on a farm in
Barry County, Michigan, near
Woodland. He was the only child of George Martin and Esther (Sutton) Davenport. He attended both public and private schools. Davenport began teaching when he reached the age of eighteen. He attended the
Michigan State Agricultural College, graduating in 1878. Davenport then returned to the family farm and taught at a nearby private school. He returned to college to obtain a
Master of Science degree, graduating in 1884. Davenport again returned to the college in 1888 study under
William James Beal. He was named a professor of agriculture and superintendent of the college farm in 1889. He only held the position for two years before leaving to preside over an agricultural school in
Piracicaba,
Brazil. However, Davenport left in April 1892 to study at the
Rothamsted Experimental Station in
Harpenden,
England. At some point he returned to the family farm near Woodland. Politically, Davenport was a
Republican and he staunchly supported
prohibition of alcohol and tobacco. Davenport was the only member of the Michigan Convention to Ratify the
21st Amendment (repealing prohibition) to vote against it. He was raised in the
Universalist church but later became a
Congregationalist. Davenport died on his farm on March 31, 1941, following kidney disease. He was buried at Woodland Memorial Park. The College of Agriculture at the University of Illinois was renamed Davenport Hall in his honor. ==References==