Benjamin O. Davis Sr.
First African-American U.S. Army Brigadier General
1880-1970
- Born on May 28, 1880 and grew up in Washington, DC.
- After graduation from high school, Davis volunteered for Military Service during the Spanish-American war.
- Davis was appointed Second Lieutenant while serving in the 8th U.S. Volunteer Infantry. This unit was deactivated at the end of the
Spanish American in 1899.
- Davis continued his military career by joining the 9th Calvary of the regular army as a private. He became a First Lieutenant two years
later while serving in the Philippines.
- Davis married his childhood sweetheart, Elnora Dickenson, on October 22, 1902.
- His son Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. was born in 1912, and died in 1917.
- Three years after the death of Elnora, Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. married Sadie Overton.
- Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. served in numerous positions over the next several decades; some of these are:
- Military Attaché to Liberia (1909 - 1911)
- Instructor of Military Science at Wilberforce University in Ohio over several years (1906-1911, 1915-1917, 1929-1930, 1937-1938)
- Second Toru of Duty to the Philippines from 1917-1920, during which he advanced to Lieutenant Colonel
- Instructor at the Ohio National Guard from 1924-1928
- Professor of Military Science at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama twice (1921-1924, 1931-1937)
- Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. was appointed Brigadier General in the U.S. Army in October 1940 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This
made General Davis the First African American to reach the rank of General Officer.
General Davis served in Washington, DC in various capacities to solve racial issues in the military.
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Racial prejudice and bigotry prevented General Davis from receiving a combat assignment or command during World War II.
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In 1942 and again from 1944-1945, General Davis served in England to assist General Eisenhower and the Allied Command deal
with and solve racial issues in the European Theatre of Operations.
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General Davis achieved a major breakthrough in 1944 when the Allied Command approved his proposal to retrain Black service
troops and combat soldiers and assign them to all-white units on an individual basis. This major shift in policy began the crack in
the wall of segregation in the military.
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General Davis worked tirelessly as Army Assistant Inspector General to investigate incidents in the military, encourage the
advancement of African-American officers an soldiers, and to convince the army to face the consequences of discrimination and
segregation.
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General Davis retired from the U.S. Army in 1948 as a champion of fairness and positive change, after 50 years of exceptional
service. He is buried in Section 2 of Arlington National Cemetery.
- Some of General Benjamin O. Davis, Sr.'s career honors include:
- the Distinguished Service Medal
- the Bronze Star
- the French Croix de Geure with Palm
- the Grade of Commander of the Order of Star of Africa, Liberian Government