Davis died in North Chicago, Illinois, at age 93, and was later interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
Benjamin O. Davis Sr. died on November 26, 1970, in North Chicago, Illinois, at the age of 93. His death closed a remarkable life that spanned from the post-Civil War era through the modern Civil Rights Movement, encompassing decades of military service and a historic breakthrough in racial integration.
Following his death, Davis was honored with burial at Arlington National Cemetery, the nation's most hallowed military burial ground, a fitting final resting place for a man whose career had been devoted to service despite the systemic racism of the era in which he served. While the exact date of his interment ceremony is not precisely documented in available sources, his burial at Arlington stands as a lasting symbol of the recognition eventually afforded to his pioneering contributions.
By the time of his death, Davis had witnessed enormous transformations in both the U.S. military and American society at large, including the official desegregation of the armed forces by President Truman's Executive Order 9981 in 1948, a policy shift that built upon the groundwork Davis and other Black officers had labored under and against for decades.
His death was marked by tributes recognizing him as a trailblazer whose 1940 promotion to brigadier general had opened doors for subsequent generations of African American military leaders, including his son, Air Force General Benjamin O. Davis Jr. His legacy continues to be honored by military historians, museums, and institutions dedicated to preserving African American military history.