Born in Eufaula, Oklahoma, Fred Beaver was the son of Willie Beaver and Annie Johnson. His paternal grandfather was Itshaus Micco, subchief of Okfuskee town group in Alabama, who moved his people to Oklahoma where the town of Eufaula now stands.

In 1931, Beaver graduated from Eufaula High School where he was an All-State football and basketball player. He attended Bacone College and in 1935, graduated from Haskell Business College. He became a clerk and interpreter under Five Civilized Tribes Agency for the Bureau of Indian Affairs until 1942 when he began serving three years in Europe in the U.S. Air Corps followed by a career in the Corps until 1960. During that time, he was also a private instructor in art and v...