(5 April 1905 – 22 November 1989) was a leading Nigerian nationalist, founding father, lawyer, journalist, trade unionist, thought leader and politician during the nation's movement towards independence in 1960 and immediately afterwards.
His grandmother was Princess Haastrup, the daughter of the Ijesha monarch, and his paternal grandfather, Prince Ogunmade-Davies of the Ogunmade Ruling House of Lagos, was the son of King Docemo.
In the following year, he became Assistant Master at King's College, Lagos Notable amongst his childhood friends were Nigeria's first president, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, who attended Methodist Boys High School, Lagos with him, and Nigeria's first indigenous Chief Justice of the Federation, Sir Adetokunbo Ademola, and first indigenous surgeon, Dr Oni Akerele, both from King's College.
Davies, or H.O.D., as he was called, was one of the earliest Nigerians to use the University of London's distance learning program, he making friends by way of it with the likes of Lord Denning.
Davies was a founding member of the Lagos Youth Movement in 1934 along with James Churchill Vaughan, Kofo Abayomi, Ernest Sissei Ikoli, and Samuel Akisanya.
That same year he left for the United States, where he attended the Research Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and wrote the book "Prospects for Democracy".
Davies was knighted by the French Government as Chevelier de l' Ordre national du Mérite for promoting French-Nigeria relations and for his significant contributions in energising Total Fina Oil and Elf Petroleum, companies of which he was a director.