Born in Washington, D. C., where he studied at the Washington School of Fine Arts, Edward H. Davis was the son of Edward Hotchkiss Davis. According to his obituary in the Scranton Times, Edward H. Davis gained his practical training in the offices of C. A. Didden, Harvey L. Page, and Hornblower & Marshall in Washington, DC. He followed his work in Washington, DC, with stints in the office of Warren & Wetmore of New York and M. B. Houpt of Wilkes-Barre, PA. He established an architectural practice in 1891 in Scranton, PA. In 1899 Davis listed himself as an architect in Hendricks' Commercial Register of the United States, with an office in the Connell Building. Entries in national directories indicate that by 1913 to 1916 he had taken David H. Morgan as an associated partner. In 1919, Davis and George M. D. Lewis, a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, formed Davis & Lewis. Lewis continued the practice of the firm after Davis's death in 1943.

Davis was a charter member of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He also belonged to the Scranton Society of Architects and the New York Society of Architects. He was a member of the first Board of Examiners for archtiects in Pennsylvania and chaired the commission to draft a new building code for the City of Scranton.

Written by Emily T. Cooperman, and Sandra L. Tatman.