Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. (1912 - 2002)

Born 18 Dec 1912 in Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Agatha Jo (Scott) Davis — married 20 Jun 1939 in West Point Academy, West Point, Highlands, Orange, New York, United States

Descendants

Died 4 Jul 2002 at age 89 in Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Kern Brogan [send private message] and US Black Heritage Project WikiTree [send private message]

Benjamin Davis Jr. is a part of US Black history. Join: US Black Heritage Project Discuss: black_heritage

Biography

Benjamin Davis Jr. is Notable.

Benjamin Davis Jr. is a Military Veteran.
Served in the United States Air Force
and achieved the rank of Lieutenant General

Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. was a pilot, officer, and administrator who became the first African American general in the U.S. Air Force. His father, Benjamin Davis Sr., was the first African American to become a general in any branch of the U.S. military.^[1]

Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr was born in Washington D.C. in 1912. He was the son of Benjamin Davis Sr. and Elnora Dickerson.

Davis studied at the University of Chicago before entering the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1932. After graduating in 1936 he was commissioned in the infantry and in 1941 was among the first group of African Americans admitted to the Army Air Corps and to pilot training. Upon his graduation he was swiftly promoted to lieutenant colonel, and he organized the 99th Pursuit Squadron, the first entirely African American air unit, which flew tactical support missions in the Mediterranean theatre. In 1943 he organized and commanded the 332nd Fighter Group (the Tuskegee Airmen). After the war had ended in Europe, he commanded the 477th Bombardment Group, United States Army Air Corps, which was preparing for combat in the Pacific Theater of operations. By the end of the war, Davis himself had flown 60 combat missions and had been promoted to colonel.

After the war Davis held other commands, and he helped plan the desegregation of the air force in 1948. He graduated from the Air War College in 1950, commanded a fighter wing in the Korean War, and was promoted to brigadier general (a one-star general) in 1954. In 1959 Davis became the first African American officer to reach the rank of major general (a two-star general) in the air force and was promoted to lieutenant general (a three-star general) in 1965. After retiring in 1970 he was named director of civil aviation security in the U.S. Department of Transportation. In that post he devised and coordinated measures that effectively ended a wave of aircraft hijackings in the United States. Davis became an assistant secretary of transportation in 1971.

Davis received many decorations during his career, including two Distinguished Service Medals and a Silver Star. On December 9, 1998, Davis was awarded his fourth general’s star (making him a general of the highest order within the U.S. military). He was the first African American to be so honoured in retirement. His 1991 autobiography, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., American, recounts his career^[2].

Author of Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.: American: An Autobiography.[1].

Wikidata: Item Q2896196

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Benjamin O. Davis Jr.," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benjamin_O._Davis_Jr.&oldid=823181977 (accessed January 31, 2018).
2. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Benjamin-O-Davis-Jr

• "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNLY-VPV : accessed 4 February 2019), Benjamin Davis in household of Louis Davis, Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, United States; citing ED 195, sheet 2B, line 59, family 37, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 211; FHL microfilm 1,820,211.
• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X43V-XDG : accessed 4 February 2019), Benjamin Davis in household of George Streator, Cleveland (Districts 251-500), Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 352, sheet 23A, line 31, family 32, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1774; FHL microfilm 2,341,508.
• Find A Grave: Memorial #6623584
• African Americans in the Military(2004), Reef, Catherine. https://books.google.com/books?id=QF9grMa_84YC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
• http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/Biographies/Display/tabid/225/Article/107298/general-benjamin-oliver-davis-jr.aspx
• Wikipedia[[2]]
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVTP-65JV : accessed 20 October 2022), Colonel Benjamin O Airmen Davis, Pennsylvania, United States, 29 Nov 2005; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, born-digital text.

See Also:

• FamilySearch tree