Miles Henry Davis
Encyclopedia
Miles Henry Davis was a prominent American dentist and father of jazz legend Miles Davis
.
. He was a son of Miles D. and Mary (Luster) Davis. He was educated at the Arkansas State Normal School (now University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff) in Pine Bluff, Arkansas
and received his Bachelor of Science
degree at Arkansas Baptist College
in Little Rock
in 1919. His studies continued at Lincoln University
in Chester County, Pennsylvania
. In 1924, Davis graduated from the dental school at Northwestern University
in Chicago, Illinois and began his practice the same year. He was a member of the Omega Psi Phi
fraternity and the National Medical Association
.
On June 16, 1924, he married Cloots Mae (or Cleota) Henry. This union produced three children:
Davis moved the family to Alton, Illinois
, and then to East Saint Louis, Illinois, where he served as State Educational Director of the Elks Club. Very active socially and politically, he was also a member of the Masons
, Knights of Pythias
, American Woodsmen, and the N.A.A.C.P.
At one time, Davis made an unsuccessful bid for a seat on the Illinois State Legislature.
In the late 1940s, Dr. Davis purchased a 160-acre estate in Millstadt, Illinois
. He began raising imported Landrace hogs, the first African American to do so. Although he began breeding hogs as a hobby, he would raise over 300 on his estate at a time. He would sell between $14,000 and $21,000 worth of swine at a single auction. His hogs would also win numerous awards at state fairs in Missouri and Illinois.
Tennessee A&I
(now Tennessee State University
) president Dr. Walter S. Davis initiated a program to encourage farmers to raise the superior quality Landrace hogs. He purchased his stock for the program from Dr. Miles Davis, who imported his strain from Sir Winston Churchill's
farm in England.
In 1962, Dr. Davis died in St. Louis
of pneumonia
following a stroke.
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
.
Biography
Davis was born on March 1, 1898 in Noble Lake, ArkansasArkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. He was a son of Miles D. and Mary (Luster) Davis. He was educated at the Arkansas State Normal School (now University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff) in Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...
and received his Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree at Arkansas Baptist College
Arkansas Baptist College
Arkansas Baptist College is a private, historically black liberal arts college located in Little Rock, Arkansas. Founded in 1884 as the Minister's Institute, ABC was initially funded by the Colored Baptists of the State of Arkansas. It is the only Baptist HBCU west of the Mississippi...
in Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
in 1919. His studies continued at Lincoln University
Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)
Lincoln University is the United States' first degree-granting historically black university. It is located near the town of Oxford in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. The university also hosts a Center for Graduate Studies in the City of Philadelphia. Lincoln University provides...
in Chester County, Pennsylvania
Chester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
. In 1924, Davis graduated from the dental school at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in Chicago, Illinois and began his practice the same year. He was a member of the Omega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos...
fraternity and the National Medical Association
National Medical Association
The National Medical Association is the largest and oldest national organization representing African American physicians and their patients in the United States...
.
On June 16, 1924, he married Cloots Mae (or Cleota) Henry. This union produced three children:
- Dorothy Mae Davis (Mrs. Vincent Wilburn), born May 10, 1925 — July 5, 1996
- Miles Dewey Davis IIIMiles DavisMiles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
(properly Miles Dewey Davis II), May 26, 1926 — September 28, 1991 - Vernon Napoleon Davis, November 3, 1929 — December 15, 1999
Davis moved the family to Alton, Illinois
Alton, Illinois
Alton is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 27,865 at the 2010 census. It is a part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area in Southern Illinois...
, and then to East Saint Louis, Illinois, where he served as State Educational Director of the Elks Club. Very active socially and politically, he was also a member of the Masons
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, Knights of Pythias
Knights of Pythias
The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded at Washington, DC, on 19 February 1864.The Knights of Pythias was the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded by Justus H. Rathbone, who had been...
, American Woodsmen, and the N.A.A.C.P.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
At one time, Davis made an unsuccessful bid for a seat on the Illinois State Legislature.
Later years
In 1946, after his first marriage ended, Davis married his second wife, Josephine, who was an assistant principal. This union produced a son, Joseph, who was born in 1959.In the late 1940s, Dr. Davis purchased a 160-acre estate in Millstadt, Illinois
Millstadt, Illinois
Millstadt is a suburb of St. Louis and a village in St. Clair County, Illinois, at the crossing of Illinois Route 163 and Illinois Route 158 . The village is known for its German heritage, with more than half its people of German descent...
. He began raising imported Landrace hogs, the first African American to do so. Although he began breeding hogs as a hobby, he would raise over 300 on his estate at a time. He would sell between $14,000 and $21,000 worth of swine at a single auction. His hogs would also win numerous awards at state fairs in Missouri and Illinois.
Tennessee A&I
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...
(now Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...
) president Dr. Walter S. Davis initiated a program to encourage farmers to raise the superior quality Landrace hogs. He purchased his stock for the program from Dr. Miles Davis, who imported his strain from Sir Winston Churchill's
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
farm in England.
In 1962, Dr. Davis died in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
following a stroke.