Franklin M. Davis, Jr

Cover of 1959 Permabook paperback edition of Spearhead by Franklin M. Davis Jr. Cover of 1961 Pyramid Books paperback edition of Kiss the Tiger by Col. Franklin M. Davis Jr. Front cover of the 1967 Macmillan Company hardcover version of Come As A Conqueror by Franklin M. Davis Jr. The book was advertised the "first comprehensive history of the most difficult political-military operation in America's history: the U.S. Army's occupation of Germany 1945–1949."

Franklin Milton Davis Jr. (July 19, 1918 – May 4, 1981)

Early life and education General Davis was born in Malden, Massachusetts, and raised in Waltham, Massachusetts. He earned a A.B. in Economics/English from Massachusetts State College in 1940. Davis was commissioned as a second lieutenant of cavalry through the Army ROTC program on June 10, 1940. He reported for active duty with the 3rd U.S. Cavalry at Fort Myer, Virginia on July 5, 1940. Davis transferred to the Regular Army on February 20, 1942, and graduated from the Command and General Staff School in January 1944. He later graduated from the Armed Forces Staff College in January 1958 and the Army War College in June 1960. Davis received an M.A. degree in international affairs from George Washington University in 1963.

Military Davis had military participation in both World War II and the Vietnam War. Between wars, he commanded the 82nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Armored Division in Europe from July 1951 to June 1952. While in Vietnam, Davis was wounded in action (WIA).

Davis received a temporary promotion to major general on June 1, 1970, which was made permanent on April 5, 1971. He was a commandant of the U.S. Army War College from 1971 to 1974, when he retired from active duty. He was also a founding member of the board of trustees at Maharishi International University (MIU) (now called Maharishi University of Management). At MIU, General Davis was also an International Resource Faculty member for the United States in Military Science.

Writing In 1950, Davis wrote for a contest that was designed to "stimulate creative writing among [military] personnel during their off-duty time." He was among three winners of the Army-wide writing contest. One of the prizes for the honor was to be published in Collier's magazine. 1959. 35 cents. Break Through, 1961 Bamboo Camp #10, 1962 Secret Hong Kong (A Quinn Leland Espionage Thriller), 1962 Combat! The Counterattack, (Illustrated by Arnie Kohn), 1964 Come As a Conqueror, (The United States Army's Occupation of Germany 1945–1949. Nonfiction), 1967 Across the Rhine (Time Life, World War II Collector's Edition), 1980

Personal Davis married Erma Stuart Alvord (September 17, 1918 – August 28, 2003) at Fort Benning, Georgia on July 18, 1942. They had two sons and three grandchildren. Their eldest son, First Lieutenant Stephen Winfield Davis (November 6, 1943 – August 18, 1967), was killed in action in Vietnam. General Davis had arrived in Vietnam for the first time only two weeks before and accompanied the body back to the United States for burial.

Davis and his wife lived in Arlington, Virginia. He died from cancer at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. at age 62. After his death, his wife moved to Charleston, South Carolina to be closer to their younger son and his family. Davis is buried alongside his wife and eldest son at Arlington National Cemetery.