R. H. Davis was born in Buchanan, Missouri, in 1897. His father was a Methodist minister, which meant the family moved often. In 1913, they relocated to Florida, and after completing a single year of high school, Davis left home. In December 1917, Davis joined the US Army and was discharged in June 1919 as a corporal with the Twenty-Third Engineers of the Second Battalion. After leaving the army, he spent several years in Texas and Georgia, but by 1930 he was again living in Florida, where records indicate he sold advertising for a newspaper; little else is known about how he made a living. In his lifetime, he published a short story, "Four-Eyes," and a novel, That Boyce Girl. It is unknown whether he completed any other works. In 1943, Davis died suddenly at the age of forty-six.