Source: The Lewis Publishing Co., Vol.II pg.274-5 1923
Author: The History of Florida: Past & Present
DAVID, SALEM K. A rising young man of public
affairs and at present an attorney with a substantial practice, SALEM
K. DAVID, of Jacksonville, is one of those of foreign birth, but of
American training, who have so truly absorbed the best spirit of the
city and the times. Mr. DAVID did not choose his vocation in the
untried enthusiasm of extreme youth, but only after a full
consideration of its responsibilities and after due preparation for the
discharge of the duties which its assumption makes necessary,
Perhaps that is one of the reasons for the rapid strides he has made
since joining Jacksonville’s legal fraternity.
Mr. DAVID was born May 20, 1893, in Syria, and
received ordinary educational advantages in his native land. He
was eighteen years of age when he decided to seek the broader
opportunities offered by the United States, and arrived in this
country, alone, in 1911. He had determined upon a professional
career, and in 1912 began to give a part of his leisure time to the
study of law, he having assisted his brother, JOSEPH K. DAVID, of this
city, in his grocery business while preparing for the bar examinations.
During the next four years he applied himself assiduously to the
mastery of this difficult vocation. Eventually, in 1916, he was
admitted to the bar, after successfully passing the State Bar
examination, and began the practice of his profession. He became
a naturalized American citizen in April, 1917. Mr. DAVID made
several efforts to enlist in the army during the World war, but owing
to organic heart trouble he did not succeed, although finally he was
accepted as a limited service man, and was at Monticello, Florida, with
the Local Draft Board for Jefferson County, and was honorably
discharged after the armistice. Following his discharge from the
service on December 19, 1918, Mr. DAVID resumed his law practice at 401
Law Exchange Building, where he has since been located. His work
has thrown him in contact with the people of his community, and a
general recognition of his popular qualities has been followed by an
acknowledgment of his ability and powers of initiative. Of recent
years he has taken an interest in civic matters, and has allied himself
with movements which have promised better conditions