Davy Crockett, the American frontiersman, was born in 1786 and died in 1836. Before he became the legendary frontiersman, Davy Crockett won and lost various runs for candidacy in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1825 to 1835. The historical character gained new fame in 1954 when the Walt Disney television show ran a series of episodes featuring Fess Parker as Davy Crockett. Coonskin caps and buckskins became popular and hundreds of different Davy Crockett items were made.