Davis was born in Chicago, Illinois, on September 6, 1935, to Edna (née Haflei) and Russell Bender.

[1] He entered Southern Illinois University at age 15 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1956.

He attended Naval Officer Candidate School and served in the United States Navy as a Lieutenant from 1956 to 1959, flying EC-121 between Midway Island and Alaska.

Davis served as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower, Readiness and Resources from 1990 to 1992; he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for activities in northern Iraq during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Davis died on February 4, 2018, at his home in Springfield, Illinois, from complications of dementia.