[4][5][6] In 1818, his nephew, Greer W. Davis, who later became a prominent attorney on the Missouri circuit court, practicing law for 54 years.

He continued to practice until his partner died in 1849, at which point he took Frederick E. Bissell as a law partner[5][4] The following year, he sold the property to the Missouri Iron Company under several conditions, including, "no shop or house for selling by retail or giving away intoxicating liquors or for gambling and no lottery office, or house of ill fame shall ever be established upon or used upon City lots or any of the above lands hereby sold and conveyed, under penalty of the absolute forfeiture of said lots.

"[11] In 1838 he built a saw mill with George H. Walworth and Gideon Ford at the Buffalo forks on the Wapsipinicon River, the first settlement near Anamosa.

[12] In 1844, John Thompson purchased land on which a flour mill would later be erected (Today at the location of the public library at 130 N. Main St.).

[13] In 1845, John Thompson, along with Davis and Chester Sage, had the town of Elkader, Iowa surveyed, later to be platted on June 22, 1846.

[14][13] Davis was tasked with naming the town, and ultimately settled on Elkader, after Emir Abdelkader whose resistance against French colonialism he admired.

"[17] He won the November 1856 general election by defeating veteran ex-Congressman Shepherd Leffler, a Democrat who was the Second District's original representative.

He was on his front porch, having a lively discussion with John Thompson when he suddenly fell back in his chair, threw his hands up, and exclaimed "Oh!