The Famous Faces of Clan Davidson

The Davidson’s drive and ambition has always been evident. Randall Thomas Davidson even managed to gain one of the highest positions available in the Christian church and ended up becoming a confidante to royalty!

Randall was born on April 7^th, 1848 in Edinburgh to a thriving grain merchant, Henry Davidson, and his intelligent and accomplished wife, Henrietta. Both Randall’s parents were technically Presbyterians, but he insisted that the family was on the whole ‘very un-denominational,’ explaining that he had ‘no recollection of receiving any teaching upon Churchmanship, either Episcopal or Presbyterian,’ and that instead his early experience of religion was ‘wholly of the personal sort, beautiful in its simplicity.’

As a young boy, Randall was educated by his mother, before going on to study at the prestigious Harrow, and then attending Trinity College Oxford to undertake a history and law degree. After graduating, he took up a course in London with Charles Vaughan, Master of the Temple, and was ordained in 1874.

One of Davidson’s Oxford friends, Crauford Tait, then helped him get his start in the church. Randall and Crauford had formed a strong bond during their university days, and Crauford’s dad happened to be Archibald Campbell Tait, the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time!

Both men were accepted as Deacons in Tait’s diocese, and Davidson clearly impressed, as he was made a priest the following year. From here, his career took off.

When Tait died, Davidson was entrusted to describe the deathbed scene for Queen Victoria herself, and she was so touched by his moving account of events that she made him the Dean of Windsor. He was later assigned as the Bishop of Rochester and Bishop of Winchester before eventually becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1903. He remained close to Queen Victoria throughout her life, forming a significant part of her funeral procession and taking responsibility for her wake.

He remained a ground breaker until the end, becoming the first Archbishop of Canterbury to retire while in office, giving up the position in 1928 and passing it on to fellow Scotsman, Cosmo Gordon Lang.

Our next famous Davidson was also undeniably a trailblazer, though arguably in a more literal sense!

Arthur Davidson was one of the four founders of the iconic American motorbike brand, Harley-Davidson. Arthur was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to William C. Davidson, from Angus, Scotland, and Margaret Adams McFarlane, who was also of Scottish descent.

As a child, Arthur spent much of his time building things and taking them apart, developing a keen interest in design and engineering. When he started to work, he found a position that allowed him to foster this interest, training as a pattern maker in a Milwaukee manufacturing firm, alongside his long-time friend, William Harley.

While at this shop, the pair became obsessed by the idea of creating a new and exciting style of motorized bike. Davidson drew up the patterns for a small engine, while Harley designed the frame of the bicycle, and they began to make progress quickly. However, they soon realised that to make any more headway, they would need the help of an experienced engineer. Luckily, there was one in the family! They recruited Davidson’s brother, Walter, a railroad engineer, to join in on their efforts. Later, a third Davidson brother, William, also got involved.

With the team now assembled, all that was left to do was to find a workshop. The Davidsons’ father provided this, building a workroom in his back garden and painting ‘Harley-Davidson Motor Company’ on the door.

By 1905 they were producing fully functional motorbikes and the business started to go from strength to strength. By the mid 1910s, Harley-Davidson was the third largest motorbike manufacturer in the United States, and by 1920 they had claimed the number one spot.

Today, the company is worth nearly 6 billion dollars and has cemented its status as one of the all-time most legendary American brands! It’s clear that the Davidson traits of determination, innovation, and grit were essential in helping the business secure this elite position.

Another descendant of the clan who displays a similarly impressive amount of resilience and creativity is comedian, actor, and writer, Pete Davidson.

Davidson was born on the 16^th of November 1993 in Staten Island, New York. The young Davidson experienced severe trauma at a very early age when his father, a firefighter with Ladder 118 in Brooklyn, died while responding to the attacks of 9/11. Pete has described the years following the tragedy as being incredibly tough, saying that without the comfort of music, he doesn’t think he would have survived.

It seems that comedy also provided some solace, as Davidson performed his first stand-up gig at just 16 years old. His talent was immediately obvious, and it didn’t take long for his career to take off after he graduated high school.

From 2013, Davidson started to gain roles in a variety of MTV series, including Failosophy, Guy Code, and Nick Cannon Presents: Wild’N Out. In 2014, he performed his first televised stand-up routine on Gotham Comedy Live, before appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live and Comedy Underground.

The following year, Davidson nabbed a small part in the Amy Schumer and Bill Hader film, Trainwreck. Hader was so impressed by the young comic’s skill that he put in a word to Saturday Night Live producer, Lorne Michaels. This led to Davidson earning a regular spot on the show at 20 years old, making him one of the youngest members of the cast!

His performance on SNL awarded him widespread admiration and acclaim, with his witty and self-deprecating humour becoming one of the mainstays of the show.

His accolades seem to be continuing to grow. In 2016, he was included on the Forbes 30 under 30 list, and he has recently branched out into film and cinema, appearing in such big movies as ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.’

Image Sources:

Archbishop of Canterbury Randall Davidson (image in public domain)

Harley Davidson (royalty free image from Pixabay)

Pete Davidson - imactuallygia - ARIANA GRANDE SWEETENER SESSIONS CHICAGO EXPERIENCE + FOOTAGE, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=95515741