[1][2] Wilson Davis played football, hockey, and tennis at Bismarck Senior High School.
After graduating from high school, Davis earned a dual degree in mechanical engineering and business at the University of Minnesota.
He subsequently worked for Honeywell, and during World War II, was a civilian engineering adviser to the United States Navy and Army Air Forces.
He acquired the Seither & Cherry Company, and expanded it into an electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning contractor active in several states.
He won a 1969 special election to represent the 1st district of the Iowa Senate, taking office on September 9, 1969.