Robert Courtney Davis (October 12, 1876 – September 2, 1944) was an officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

who served as Adjutant General of the U.S. Army from 1922 to 1927.

Early life

Robert C. Davis was born in

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...

on October 12, 1876. He attended

Franklin & Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded upon the merger of Fran ...

before being appointed to the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

in 1894. Davis graduated in 1898 and was commissioned as a

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the 17th Infantry Regiment.

Spanish–American War

Davis took part in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

, and saw action in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. He was involved in the

Santiago campaign Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

and took part in the battles of

El Caney El Caney (also Caney) is a small village six kilometers (four miles) to the northeast of Santiago, Cuba. "Caney" means longhouse in Taíno. Overview It was known in centuries past as the site where Hernán Cortés received a vision supposedly orde ...

and

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

. He received the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

for heroism at El Caney, and was recommended for a

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

promotion to

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

. Davis subsequently served in the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

. In August 1899, he received a second Silver Star and promotion to brevet

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

for heroism while fighting Filipino insurgents. He remained in the Philippines until 1904, when he was assigned to West Point as a professor in the Department of Tactics.

Post–Spanish–American War

In 1906, Davis returned to Cuba with the 17th Infantry. In 1909 he was assigned as aide-de-camp to Thomas Henry Barry. When Barry was appointed as West Point's Superintendent in 1911, Davis was assigned as the

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

on Barry's staff. Davis served again with the 17th Infantry, and then served again in the Philippines as a member of the

8th Infantry Regiment The 8th Infantry Regiment of the United States, also known as the "Fighting Eagles," is an infantry regiment in the United States Army. The 8th Infantry participated in the Mexican War, American Civil War, Philippine Insurrection, Moro Rebel ...

. For most of 1915, Davis was detailed as Inspector of the

Philippine Scouts The Philippine Scouts (Filipino: ''Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'' or ''Hukbong Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'') was a military organization of the United States Army from 1901 until after the end of World War II. These troops were generally Filipinos an ...

, and received promotion to

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

World War I

Pershing and his General Staff at Headquarters, Chaumont

At the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Davis was assigned to the staff of the army's Adjutant General. In mid-1917 he went to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

as Assistant to the Adjutant General of the American Expeditionary Forces. He later served as acting adjutant general and then adjutant general of the A.E.F., receiving a temporary promotion to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Post-World War I

Following World War I Davis was assigned to the staff of the Army's Adjutant General, and participated on a board which reviewed War Department staff activities and made recommendations for personnel reorganization and improvements to processes and procedures. From 1922 to 1927, Davis served as Adjutant General of the Army, receiving promotion to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. His most notable accomplishment in this position was the organization and execution of a plan to pay bonuses to veterans of World War I.

Post-military career

After retiring from the Army, Davis was President of Photomaton, Inc., a company which produced automatic camera photo booths. He was also Executive Director of the New York Chapter of the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

, and served as President of the West Point Association of Graduates.

Death and burial

Davis died in Elmsford, New York on September 2, 1944 after suffering a heart attack while golfing at the Knollwood Country Club. He and his wife Ruby Hale are buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Awards

In addition to his two Silver Stars, Davis received the Army

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

for his World War I service. The medal's citation states the following: He also received numerous foreign awards, including: the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

(Commander) (France);

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(Companion) (

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

); Order of the Crown (Commander) (

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

); Order of the Crown (Commander) (

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

); Order of Prince Danilo I (Grand Cross) (

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

); and Medal of La Solidaridad (Second Class) (

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

Family

In 1902, Davis married Ruby Caroline Hale (1879–1959). They had no children.

Bibliography

References

External links

*
Memorial, Robert C. Davis (1898)
' at West Point Association of Graduates *

' at ArlingtonCemetery.net, an unofficial website *
Robert C. Davis
' at Military Times Hall of Valor * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Robert Courtney 1876 births 1944 deaths United States Military Academy alumni American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of the Philippine–American War United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals Adjutants general of the United States Army Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Commanders of the Legion of Honour Honorary Companions of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Franklin & Marshall College alumni Military personnel from Pennsylvania