He was a staunch supporter of Stephen A. Douglas and a strong advocate for the views of the Peace Democrats or Copperheads during the American Civil War.

[1] William left school at the age of 12 in order to earn a living, working with his father as a transporter of produce, merchandise, and building materials.

On April 3, 1895, William married his second wife, poet Margaret Gilman George (who was 32 years younger than her husband), in Dallas, Texas.

Davidson also supported the establishment of a number of local industries, including a woolen mill, an iron foundry, and a canning factory.

An avid chronicler of life in Illinois during the 1800s, Davidson wrote The Hermit, a novel that was published serially in the Fulton Democrat (although never in book form).

[9] The novel was based on the life of a legendary and enigmatic early settler in the Spoon River region named Dr. Davison, a "man of considerable culture" but "a recluse and misanthrope whose one desire was to be alone.

William Phelps and Caroline Kelsey were married on March 2, 1830,[3] and the narrative provides a glimpse of pioneer life in Illinois and neighboring states during the early to mid-1800s.

This speech was repeated on a number of occasions, including an address to the state house in Springfield, Illinois, on April 23, 1913 (the one hundredth anniversary of Douglas' death).

William Davidson was also a great admirer of Theodore Roosevelt, and he was a strong supporter of Woodrow Wilson, whom he considered to be the greatest American president since Abraham Lincoln.

[2] Prior to that date (and especially during the years of the Civil War), Davidson had fallen into "habits of excessive dissipation characteristic of the times.

[16] Davidson was the basis for three of the characters in Masters' Spoon River Anthology: Editor Whedon, who used "great feelings and passions of the human family / For base designs, for cunning ends"; Deacon Taylor, who belonged to "the party of prohibition" but who "had cirrhosis of the liver"; and Robert Davidson, who "grew spiritually fat living off the souls of men.

A walking-tour brochure of the cemetery marks the location of the grave of William Davidson and lists the characters in Masters' Spoon River Anthology with which he is associated.

[17] The brochure also shows the location of the grave of Margaret George Davidson, who was the basis for the characters of Julia Miller, Amelia Garrick, and Caroline Bronson in Masters' anthology.