Benjamin Day was born in Terre Haute, Indiana on February 15, 1925. Day joined the Navy in 1943 and served in the South Pacific as a Seabee duing WWII. He then went on to earn bachelors and masters degrees from Kansas State Teachers College at Emporia, Kansas. Day completed other post-graduate work at University of Kansas, University of Missouri of Kansas City, Wichita State, Kansas State, and St. Mary's College. Professionally, he served 31 years in the Leavenworth school system as a teacher and principal. In 1971, Day was elected to the Leavenworth City Council, and then as the city's first black mayor in 1972. The City of Leavenworth named Benjamin Day Elementary and the Benjamin Day Womens Center at St. Johns Hospital in his honor.

Day was also member of Kansas School Masters, Optimists Club, Kiwanis Club, Phi Delta Kappa, Governors Committee on Criminal Adminstration, Human Resource Development Committee of the Kansas League of Municipalities, National League of Cities, Legislative Committee of the National League of Cities, the Pentecostal Church and was editor-in-chief of the Apostolic Light Literature in Cincinati, Ohio.

Together with his wife, Lula, Day had three children: Laraine, Glynnis, and Ingrid. Day died August 6, 1984.