J. Frank (James Francis) Davis

J. Frank Davis, born James Francis Davis in 1870, was an American journalist, editor, and author. Reliable catalog and archival sources connect him with both fiction and public-history writing, showing a career that ranged from newspaper work to novels and travel writing.

His books include Almanzar (1918), The Chinese Label (1920), and The Road to San Jacinto (1936). During the 1930s he became director of the Texas Writers' Project, part of the WPA-era Federal Writers' Project, and worked from San Antonio on guidebooks that introduced readers to the state's history, culture, and landscapes.

He is especially remembered for his leadership on Texas: A Guide to the Lone Star State (1940), a landmark volume of the American Guide Series. Davis died in 1942, leaving behind a body of work that links literary storytelling with the documentary spirit of Depression-era American writing.