William Stearns Davis (1877-1930) was an American educator, historian, and author. cited as one who "contributed to history as a scholarly discipline, . . . [but] was intrigued by the human side of history, which, at the time, was neglected by the discipline." 1927's Gilman of Redford is a fictionalized novel describing events in pre-Revolutionary War Massachusetts, including the Boston Tea Party and the Battle of Bunker Hill.