A Tuskegee, Alabama, native and Tuskegee University alumnus, Milton C. Davis has enjoyed a legal career spanning service in the military, public and private sectors.
After completing a bachelor’s degree in political science at Tuskegee in 1971, Davis earned his Juris Doctor degree from University of Iowa’s College of Law in 1974. During his collegiate years, he earned distinction as an American Political Science Foundation graduate fellow, a Ford Foundation graduate fellow, a Herbert Lehman Foundation International Scholar and a Distinguished Air Force ROTC graduate. During his law school studies, he excelled in oral advocacy and was named to the Senior Moot Court Board.
Davis’ career achievements include being among the first African-Americans in Alabama to be appointed a state assistant attorney general. He received nationwide acclaim for his role in securing the full pardon for Clarence Norris, the last known surviving “Scottsboro Boy” on the basis of innocence. In 1977, Davis returned to Tuskegee to begin his private legal practice. His career highlights also include 25 years of service in the U.S. Air Force Reserves Judge Advocate General Corps through which he ultimately attained the rank of lieutenant colonel, as well as teaching business courses as an adjunct professor at Tuskegee University’s College of Business.
Outside his professional responsibilities, Davis served for eight years as a member of the Alabama State Board of Bar Examiners, in addition to serving on numerous committees of the Alabama State Bar Association and as president of the Macon County Bar Association. He is a life fellow of the Alabama Law Foundation, a member of the Lawyers’ Advisory Committee for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, and a former member of the Lawyers’ Advisory Committee for the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Currently, Davis serves on the board of directors of the Central Alabama Community Foundation, which oversees the distribution of millions of dollars to charitable and nonprofit organizations throughout southeast Alabama. He is a former board member of Leadership Alabama, a distinguished network of Alabama leaders, and a board member for and vice president of the Lionel Richie Foundation Inc. Davis is a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, also known as the Boulé. He is an active member of Resurrection Catholic Church in Montgomery, Alabama.
For four years, Davis served as the 29th General President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity — the first African-American collegiate fraternity, which was founded at Cornell University in 1906. During his term as President, the U.S. Congress passed legislation and President Bill Clinton signed into law the bill authorizing Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity the exclusive right to construct the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Davis’ numerous accolades include being honored by Black Enterprise Magazine as the recipient of its National Achievement Award for his contributions to criminal justice. He also was recognized by Ebony and Jet magazines as one of their “50 Leaders of the Future.” From 1993 through 1996, Davis appeared among Ebony magazine’s list of “100 Most Influential African-Americans.” He also is listed in Who’s Who in Alabama.
Davis is married to Dr. Myrtle E. Goore, a practicing physician in Montgomery, where the couple reside. They are the parents of two adult sons and have two grandchildren.