At Morehouse, Davis formed associations with John Hope, Mordecai Wyatt Johnson, Samuel Archer, Benjamin Griffith Brawley, Booker T. Washington, and W. E. B.

Davis served as the executive secretary of the Twelfth Street YMCA in Washington, D.C., from 1917 to 1919 when he was elected as the president of West Virginia Collegiate Institute.

Through his efforts and educational statesmanship, Davis laid the groundwork for West Virginia State's transition into an integrated institution, and white students began enrolling in large numbers toward the end of his presidency.

Davis continued to work as an active consultant for the NAACP LDF and serve as the head of its Herbert Lehmann Fund until his death in 1980.

[3][6][9] While attending Morehouse, Davis was a roommate of Mordecai Wyatt Johnson, who later served as president of Howard University; they remained longstanding friends.

[6][12] Davis sided with Du Bois in this ideological debate, and he "began to formulate his lifetime philosophies and commitment to the educational development of the black community.

[18] In 1915, Davis assisted African American educator and historian Carter G. Woodson in establishing the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.

[3][13][19] He also helped Walter Francis White to found one of the city's first chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

[21][29] Woodson had been offered the presidency of the West Virginia Collegiate Institute in 1919 but declined due to the administrative duties required to operate a college, as it would have left him with little time to research and write.

[1][2] In 1922, Carter G. Woodson described the institute under Davis' leadership as "a reorganized college furnishing facilities for education not offered elsewhere for the youth of West Virginia.

[32] The report stated that a new dormitory for female students had been erected, and many new volumes had been added to the school's library, and it also noted, "this institution is possibly the best equipped State-supported college for Negroes in America.

"[32] Despite the school's progress under Davis, the report noted the institute's work was hampered by inadequate classroom facilities, and acknowledged the need for "an administration building, a gymnasium, library, and cottages for teachers.

[14][34] Davis supported the desegregation of schools over further equalization of African American institutions, and in 1946, he stated, "Negro education postulates doctrines of minimization of personality, social and economic mediocrity, and second class citizenship.

[37][38] Carter G. Woodson served as the committee's chairperson and developed a questionnaire that was disseminated among West Virginia's African American communities and institutions to gather facts.

[21][29][39] At the conclusion of this study, Davis held a presentation of its findings as part of the West Virginia Collegiate Institute Founder's Day celebration on May 3, 1921.

[29][37][42] In 1922, Woodson began receiving a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York for the operation of his Journal of Negro History and shortly thereafter, he resigned his position as dean of the West Virginia Collegiate Institute in June of that year.

[48] At the 4-H camp, West Virginia State's Extension Service offered instruction to African American children and adolescents in the subjects of agricultural education, soil conservation, home economics, and 4-H values.

[50][52] In October 1939, Davis coordinated with the National Youth Administration to secure a mechanic work experience project as part of West Virginia State's CPTP.

[54] Within a week's time, West Virginia State reached agreements with the Fifth Service Command, and Davis commenced modifications to the college's Gore Hall, where most of the ASTP personnel were housed.

[54] On July 22, 1943, Davis wrote to Johnston, requesting him to expand the anticipated total of 150 trainees to 300, an amount that included 17-year-old West Virginia reservists who were to attend ASTP training at other colleges and universities.

[56] Author Gerald L. Smith cited Davis' nonpartisan leadership style as being an influence on Rufus B. Atwood, president of Kentucky State College.

[30] In June 1921, Davis and African American leaders including Carter G. Woodson, Don S.S. Goodloe, Mordecai Wyatt Johnson, and Byrd Prillerman, established Associated Publishers, Inc., in Washington, D.C., with a capital stock of $25,000.

[59] In his final year as president of West Virginia State, Davis took a permanent leave of absence to embark on a career in foreign service.

[13][19][64] President Truman appointed him to serve, under the first African American United States Ambassador Edward R. Dudley, as the director of the Technical Cooperation Administration program in Liberia from 1952 to 1954.

[2][67] After accepting an invitation by Thurgood Marshall in 1955,[13] Davis served as the special director of the NAACP LDF Teacher Information and Security Program,[14][19][63] which he established to preserve the positions of African American educators.

[68] While at the NAACP LDF, Davis worked closely with Marshall, the fund's Chief Counsel, to prepare for the Brown v. Board of Education case.

[6] Davis continued to work as an active consultant for the NAACP LDF and serve as the head of its Herbert Lehmann Fund until his death.

[73][76][77] Davis, his daughters Constance and Dorothy, and numerous friends and faculty from West Virginia State College, traveled together to Atlanta for the memorial service.

On September 2, 1932, Davis married Ethel Elizabeth McGhee, an educator and activist for African American social advancement,[3][22][78] and dean of women at Spelman College.

"[10] In Black Colleges and Universities: Challenges for the Future (1984), editor Antoine Garibaldi remarked of Davis' involvement with the book's preparation:Even at 92, [Davis] was still progressive in his thinking and believed as strongly as any member of the group that black colleges would have to alter their missions to adapt to a changing clientele of students, changing demographics and political trends, and economic conditions that have adversely affected the financial health of most institutions of higher learning.