Miles Henry Davis (March 1, 1900—1962) was a prominent American dentist and father of jazz legend Miles Davis.

Biography

Miles Henry Davis was born on March 1, 1900 in Noble's Lake, Arkansas. He was a son of Miles Dewey and Mary (Luster) Davis. He was educated at the Arkansas State Normal School 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:

• Dorothy Mae Davis, born May 10, 1925
• Miles Dewey Davis III (technically Miles Dewey Davis II), born May 26, 1926
• Vernon Napoleon Davis, born November 3, 1929

Davis moved the family 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 Phythias, American Woodsmen, and the N.A.A.C.P..

At one time, Davis made an unsuccessful bid for a seat on the State Legislature.

Notes

Because his son is often erroneously referred as Miles Dewey Davis III (he's actually Miles Dewey Davis II or alternately, Miles Davis III) it is assumed that his name is also Miles Dewey Davis (which was also his father's name). This is not correct. His name is actually Miles Henry Davis. If he had been named exactly after his father (which he was not), he would have been Miles Dewey Davis, Jr. (the suffix "II" only applies to individuals named after a family member other than one's father).

References

• Yenser, Thomas (editor), Who's Who in Colored America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Persons of African Descent in America, Who's Who in Colored America, Brooklyn, New York, 1930-1931-1932 (Third Edition)