Benjamin O. Davis

Background

Benjamin Oliver Davis was born on December 18, 1912, in Washington, D.C., the second of three children of U.S. Army officer Benjamin O. Davis Sr. and Elnora Dickerson Davis. His father later became the first African American general officer in the Regular Army. Davis's mother died in 1916 after the birth of his younger sister, and the children spent part of their early years with relatives while their father served overseas.

The family reunited in 1920 when Davis Sr. was assigned to Tuskegee Institute, where he taught military science and tactics. In 1924 the family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, after Davis Sr. became an instructor with a federalized Ohio National Guard unit. Davis graduated from Cleveland's Central High School in 1929 and grew up within a military family during an era when the U.S. armed forces were racially segregated.

Education

Davis attended Western Reserve University in Cleveland from 1929 to 1930 and the University of Chicago from 1930 to 1932 before entering the United States Military Academy. West Point, established in 1802, was the principal institution for educating U.S. Army officers; Davis entered during a period when African American cadets remained exceptionally rare and faced institutional and social exclusion.

He graduated from West Point in June 1936 and was commissioned a second lieutenant of infantry. He later completed the Infantry School course at Fort Benning and attended the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base from 1949 to 1950. The Air War College, founded in 1946, prepared senior officers for strategic planning and joint military leadership during the early Cold War.

Career

Davis was commissioned in the infantry after graduating from West Point in 1936. He served with the 24th Infantry Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia, completed the Infantry School course, and from 1938 to 1941 taught military science at Tuskegee Institute. Tuskegee was a historically significant Black institution whose military program became an important setting for the Army's experiment in training African American pilots.

In 1941 Davis entered pilot training at Tuskegee Army Air Field, receiving his wings in March 1942 and transferring to the Army Air Corps in May. He commanded the 99th Fighter Squadron, the first operational unit of the Tuskegee Airmen, during its deployment to North Africa and Sicily in 1943. Later that year he assumed command of the 332nd Fighter Group, which operated in Italy and became known for escorting bombers and protecting Allied air operations over Europe. Davis flew combat missions and defended the squadron against claims that African American pilots were ineffective.

After World War II, Davis commanded the 477th Composite Group and Godman Field in Kentucky, then Lockbourne Army Air Base and the 332nd Fighter Wing in Ohio. These assignments placed him in the postwar effort to expand the command responsibilities of Black personnel and helped establish his career as a senior Air Force leader. He attended the Air War College in 1949–1950 and subsequently served in planning and fighter-branch positions at Air Force Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

From 1953 to 1954 Davis commanded the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing in Korea. He later held senior posts with the Far East Air Forces, commanded Air Task Force 13 in Taiwan, served as chief of staff of Twelfth Air Force in Germany, and became deputy chief of staff for operations for U.S. Air Forces in Europe. At Air Force Headquarters he directed manpower and organization and served as assistant deputy chief of staff for programs and requirements. From 1965 to 1967 he was chief of staff to the United Nations Command and U.S. Forces Korea, from 1967 to 1968 commanded Thirteenth Air Force in the Philippines, and from 1968 to 1970 was deputy commander in chief of United States Strike Command.

Davis retired from the Air Force on February 1, 1970, as a lieutenant general. He then directed civil aviation security in the U.S. Department of Transportation and became assistant secretary of transportation in 1971, with responsibilities involving aviation security, transportation safety, and related federal programs. He retired from the Department of Transportation in 1975 and later served on the American Battle Monuments Commission. On December 9, 1998, President Bill Clinton advanced him to the rank of general, giving him a fourth star in recognition of his military career.

Achievements

• Davis commanded the 99th Fighter Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group, leading African American pilots in combat operations over North Africa, Sicily, and Italy during World War II.

• He helped demonstrate the combat effectiveness of African American pilots and contributed to the postwar integration of the United States Air Force.

• Davis became the first African American general in the U.S. Air Force, reaching lieutenant general in 1965 and receiving an honorary advancement to general on December 9, 1998.

• After military retirement, he directed federal civil aviation security and served as assistant secretary of transportation, contributing to national transportation-security and safety programs.

Works

More photos

• autobiography

  • Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.: American: An Autobiography

    (Davis's autobiography recounts his education at West Poin...)

    1991

Views

Davis's career and autobiography present a philosophy of professional excellence, equal citizenship, and institutional responsibility. He argued through his conduct that military ability and leadership should be judged by performance rather than race, and his service connected individual advancement with the wider integration of the armed forces.

His public life also reflected a belief in disciplined service to constitutional government. By leading segregated African American units in combat, commanding integrated-era formations, and later holding senior national security and transportation posts, Davis treated military professionalism as a means of demonstrating the injustice and practical weakness of racial discrimination.

Personality

Davis was characterized in biographical accounts by persistence, discipline, and a refusal to abandon his professional goals despite racial exclusion at West Point and in the armed forces.

Quotes from others about the person

• Davis described his experience at West Point as an effort designed to make him give up, but stated that he refused to do so.

Connections

Davis was the son of Benjamin O. Davis Sr., the first African American general officer in the Regular Army, and Elnora Dickerson Davis. His siblings included Olive Davis and Elnora Davis. His father served as an important predecessor in the family's military tradition and was also buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Davis married Agatha Josephine Scott on June 20, 1936, shortly after his graduation from West Point. They remained married for more than six decades and endured the racial discrimination that affected military and civilian life during much of his career. Agatha Davis died in Washington, D.C., on March 10, 2002, several months before her husband.

Father:

Benjamin O. Davis Sr.

United States Army officer who became the first African American general officer in the Regular Army.

Mother:

Elnora Dickerson Davis

Died in 1916 after the birth of her third child.

Sister:

Olive Davis

Sister:

Elnora Davis

Later known as Elnora D. McLendon.

Wife:

Agatha Josephine Scott

Married Davis on June 20, 1936, and remained his wife until her death in March 2002.

References

• America's First Black General: Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., 1880-1970 A scholarly biography of Davis's father, Benjamin O. Davis Sr., and the military and racial context surrounding the Davis family's public service.
• GENERAL BENJAMIN O. DAVIS: AMERICAN HERO A biographical work about Benjamin O. Davis Sr., the first Black American general in the United States Army.
• Benjamin O. Davis Jr. Collection Smithsonian archival collection documenting Davis's education, military postings, official duties, civilian life, and autobiography.
• Benjamin O. Davis Jr. National Park Service biography documenting Davis's birth, education, World War II commands, postwar service, death, and burial.