Born, Dayton Edward Phillips, on March 29, 1910, at Shell Creek, Tennessee in Carter County, he grew up on a farm, attended the country school, and went to Cloudland High School in Roan Mountain, Tennessee. From 1929 to 1931, he attended Milligan College in Tennessee.
Dayton Edward Phillips was born on March 29, 1910, at Shell Creek, Tennessee, where he spent his childhood on a farm and received his education at the local country school and Cloudland High School. He later attended Milligan College in Tennessee from 1929 to 1931.