David Lunsford Ellis was born in Smithfield (Johnston County), North Carolina on September 18, 1858. Ellis was a lifelong educator who served as superintendent of Buncombe County public schools from 1896 to 1898. During the White Supremacy Campaign of the late 1890s, Ellis was publicly accused of mismanaging the school fund by future governor Locke Craig. The accusation seems to be nothing more than political hackery on Craig's part, for after the election the county appears to have taken no legal action against Ellis. The school board itself declined to investigate the allegations, citing lack of evidence. Ellis gracefully handed over the job in 1899. He later relocated to Chattanooga, Tennessee at which place he died on June 1, 1942.