[4] After the American Revolutionary War was settled, the fledgling nation created the Northwest Territory, tentatively divided into two counties.

As the area became more settled, Knox was partitioned into smaller counties, the last of which was the present-day Daviess, authorized on February 2, 1818.

Daviess County was named for Major Joseph Hamilton Daveiss,[5] U.S. District Attorney for Kentucky, killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811.

The earliest settlements were along the White River, which allowed crops and timber to be transported to distant markets.

The northeast part of the county was heavily forested, and timber industry flourished in the first half of the nineteenth century.

The terrain of Daviess County is hilly, with its area completely devoted to agriculture or urban development.

The board executes the council's legislative acts, collects revenue, and manages the county's government functions.

The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association.

[23] The county has other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk.

Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government.

[23] Each township has a trustee who administers rural fire protection and ambulance service, provides poor relief, manages cemetery care, and performs farm assessment, among other duties.