Search results
Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr. (July 1, 1877 – November 26, 1970) was a career officer in the United States Army. One of the few black officers in an era when American society was largely segregated, in 1940 he was promoted to brigadier general, the army's first African American general officer.
Davis began his Army service in a segregated unit. Still, he strove throughout his career to fight against segregation, becoming the first Black general in the U.S. Army. Davis spent over 40 years in the Army, serving in combat, diplomatic, and administrative roles around the world.
Feb 25, 2024 · In 1940, Benjamin O. Davis Sr. became the first Black person to achieve the rank of brigadier general in the US Army. His son, Benjamin O. Davis Jr., later commanded the famed Tuskegee...
Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. was a soldier who became the first black general in the U.S. Army. After serving as a volunteer in the Spanish-American War (1898), Benjamin Davis, Sr., enlisted as a private in the 9th Cavalry of the U.S. Army.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
In 1940, Benjamin O. Davis Sr. became the first Black person to achieve the rank of brigadier general in the US Army. His son, Benjamin O. Davis Jr., later commanded the famed Tuskegee Airmen.
His job involved inspecting black units around the country and helping to solve the racial problems that were cropping up as black soldiers intermingled both with white soldiers and with segregated communities near their bases.
People also ask
Was Benjamin Davis a segregated soldier?
Who was Benjamin Davis?
How did Benjamin Davis become a sergeant major?
Who was Benjamin Oliver Davis?
Davis wanted to become an Army Air Forces (AAF) pilot, but was not allowed because the military was still segregated and a Black flying unit didn’t exist. Instead, to keep him from commanding white units, he was sent to the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama to teach Reserved Officers Training.
