Thomas-Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie (25 March 1762 in Jérémie, Saint-Domingue-6 February 1806 in Villers-Cotterêts, France) was a General of the French Revolution and the father of author Alexandre Dumas, père (and thus the grandfather of author Alexandre Dumas, fils). He was nicknamed the "Schwarze Teufel" ("Black Devil") by the Austrians after his personal bravery prevented their retreat across the Adige on January 19, 1797.

He was the son of a lesser French nobleman, the Marquis Alexandre-Antoine Davy de la Pailleterie (Bielleville-en-Caux, 20 June 1714 – Bielleville-en-Caux, 15 June 1786), who served the government of France as Général commissaire in the Artillery in the colony of Saint-Domingue, and a black woman named Marie-Césette Dumas, who was a manager of a farm (her name "Dumas" came from "du Mas" which means "of the farm"). He had three sisters: Adelphe, Jeannette and Marie-Rose. His mother died there of dysentery when Thomas-Alexandre was twelve. At age 18, his father took him back to France and gave him the education of a young nobleman of the time. His father was the son of Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie (1674 – 1758) and wife Jeanne-Françoise Pautre de Dominion.

As Dumas grew into manhood he moved to Paris, enjoying life with the financial support of his father. But soon after the senior Davy married his second wife, he suspended the payments to his son.