Shelby Cullom Davis (1909-1994), also known as Shelby Cullom Davis III, was an American investment banker, financier, diplomat, and pioneering conservative philanthropist. Born in Peoria, Illinois, he was the son of investor and diplomat Shelby Cullom Davis Jr. Davis graduated from Princeton University in 1931 with a degree in history and initially pursued a career in journalism, working as a financial reporter for the New York Herald Tribune. In 1947, he founded Shelby Cullom Davis & Company, an investment firm that specialized in insurance stocks and grew into a major player in the financial sector, amassing a significant family fortune estimated in the hundreds of millions by the time of his death. His business acumen allowed him to build wealth through strategic investments, particularly in the insurance industry, which became a cornerstone of his financial success.

Davis's influence extended into government service during the Nixon administration. He served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury from 1969 to 1971, focusing on fiscal policy and international finance, and later as United States Ambassador to Switzerland from 1972 to 1975 under Presidents Nixon and Gerald Ford. A staunch conservative, Davis was known for directing his family's wealth toward free-market causes, anti-communist initiatives, and educational institutions aligned with libertarian and conservative ideologies. He and his wife, Kathryn Wasserman Davis, established the Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund, supporting organizations like the Hoover Institution and conservative think tanks. Davis was the father of philanthropist Diana Davis Spencer, who succeeded him in managing family philanthropic efforts.

Throughout his life, Davis maintained a low public profile but wielded considerable influence in conservative circles. He was criticized by some for his strong anti-communist stance during the Cold War era, though no major legal controversies or scandals are prominently documented in public records. His legacy endures through the Davis family's ongoing philanthropy, which continues to fund conservative and free-market advocacy.