Benjamin O. Davis, Sr.
Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr. was the first Black man to attain the rank of brigadier general.
He is also the father of Benjamin O. Davis Jr., an Air Force general who commanded the Tuskegee Airmen and became the first Black general officer in the U.S. Air Force.
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
Davis was born in 1877 in Washington, D.C., to Louis P.H. Davis and Henrietta Davis. He attended M Street High School, where he participated in the cadet program. After graduation and against his parents’ wishes, Davis pursued a military career, entering the service in 1898 as a temporary lieutenant in the 8th United States Volunteer Infantry, an allBlack unit. He also served in one of the original Buffalo Soldier regiments.
Davis became an officer in 1901 and was posted overseas in the PhilippineAmerican War before becoming a professor of military science and tactics at Wilberforce University. He served as a military attaché to Liberia and taught at Tuskegee Institute.
WORLD WAR II
In 1941, Davis became the commanding general of the 4th Cavalry Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. He was then assigned to the Office of the Inspector General in Washington, D.C., where he served on the Advisory Committee on Negro Troop Policies and conducted inspection tours of Black soldiers. Davis also served under Lt. Gen. John C.H. Lee and was influential in the proposed policy of integrating replacement units.
AFTER THE WAR
Davis returned to Washington, D.C., to serve as an assistant to the inspector general and then special assistant to the secretary of the Army. During his career, Davis was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star, the Spanish War Service Medal, the Philippine Campaign Medal, the Mexican Border Service Medal, the World War I Victory Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the European-Af rican-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal and the Army of Occupation Medal. He was also awarded the Order of the Star of Af rica f rom Liberia and the Croix de Guerre with Palm f rom France. Davis also received the Distinguished Service Medal.
Davis retired in 1948 after 50 years of military service. Just six days after Davis’ retirement, President Harry S. Truman, who presided over Davis’ retirement ceremony, abolished racial discrimination in the U.S. armed forces.
In retirement, Davis served as a member of the American Battle Monuments Commission. He died in 1970 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.