Shelby M.C. Davis

Shelby Moore Cullom Davis
Personal details
BornU.S.
SpouseGale Davis
OccupationBusinessman, investor, philanthropist

Shelby Moore Cullom Davis (born 1937[1]) is an American philanthropist and retired investor and money manager.

Davis is the son of money manager Shelby Cullom Davis[2] and Kathryn Wasserman Davis.[3] He is a graduate of Princeton University[4] and began his career at The Bank of New York,[5] where he became the bank's youngest vice president since Alexander Hamilton.[6][7]

Davis left BNY in 1968 to found an investment management firm that eventually became Davis Selected Advisers,[8][9] which as of 2021 manages about $37 billion in several funds.[10]

All the Davis funds invest in public equities and have been described as "value stock" funds. Shelby Davis's reputation with such stocks was such that he was called a "legendary fund manager" by the New York Times,[11] a "legend" by Money magazine,[12] "legendary" by Financial Advisor magazine,[13] and a "legendary investor" by Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine.[7]

Davis is currently married to his second wife, Gale.[5] His first wife, Wendy A. Adams, was the daughter of Boston Bruins Chairman Weston Adams.[4] Davis served for a time as Vice President of the Bruins, and as a result of the team's championship win in 1972, his name is engraved on the Stanley Cup.[14]

In 2012, John Rothchild published a profile of Davis, his father, and his sons, called "The Davis Dynasty: Fifty Years of Successful Investing on Wall Street".[15]

Philanthropy

Shelby Davis is noted as an extraordinarily generous philanthropist, especially to educational causes.[16] Among the most significant recipients of his philanthropy are the United World College movement and his own alma mater, Princeton University,[17] of which he served as trustee starting in 2006,[18] and was one of the most generous donors to the university while on the board.[19] His backing of the United World Colleges included his paying for the restoration of the Montezuma Castle on the U.S. campus.[20][21] He has further supported these schools through the Davis United World College Scholars Program, the Davis-UWC IMPACT Challenge and the Davis-UWC Dare to Dream Program.[22] Through the Davis United World College Scholars Program, Davis has provided scholarships for over 10,000 students at colleges and universities around the world.[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][8][32]

Davis and his wife also support environmental and regional charities, including in Maine, Wyoming, Florida, and Utah.[6]

Davis explained his philanthropic efforts by saying "I believe education creates possibilities. It’s always about young people and their futures, and we all realize that with education, young people have more possibilities than without it. I am investing in UWC students, in particular, because I believe they are getting a special brand of education at UWC schools. They tell me this, over and over in their letters and when I meet them. Their teachers and professors tell me this, too."[33]

References

  1. ^ Rothchild 2003, p. 50.
  2. ^ Jason Zweig (December 1, 1995). "Meet America's Most Reliable Fund Manager His Name Is Shelby Davis, and He's Not Flashy. For Consistency, Though, He Beats Them All". Money magazine. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  3. ^ "Kathryn W. Davis; used millions to help Wellesley College, others - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com.
  4. ^ a b "Wendy A. Adams, A Vassar Senior, Is Future Bride; Betrothed to Shelby M. Cullom Davis, Who Is a Princeton Graduate". The New York Times. January 4, 1959.
  5. ^ a b "Shelby Davis". www.skidmore.edu. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  6. ^ a b "Shelby Davis — Wall Street Donors Guide". 31 December 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Like Father Like Sons", June 1999, Robert Frick, Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, p.80
  8. ^ a b "Philanthropy Archives". 14 June 2023.
  9. ^ Leckey, Andrew (1997-01-01). The Morningstar approach to investing: wiring into the mutual fund revolution. Hachette Book Group. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-446-52013-3. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  10. ^ "DAVIS SELECTED ADVISERS- Ratings & Rankings by Symmetric".
  11. ^ "All in the Davis Family: Still Picking Winners" Virginia Munger Kahn. New York Times, Late Edition (East Coast); New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 08 Feb 1998: 8
  12. ^ What Becomes a Legend Most? Woolley, Suzanne. Money. Jul2000, Vol. 29 Issue 7, p44
  13. ^ Chris And Shelby Davis Trade Places, April 2001, Alan Lavine, https://www.fa-mag.com/news/article-319.html?issue=7
  14. ^ "125 YEARS OF GLORY: EXPLORE THE CUP". Lord Stanley’s Gift Monument. Archived from the original on Feb 25, 2019.
  15. ^ Rothchild, John (22 May 2012). The Davis Dynasty: Fifty Years of Successful Investing on Wall Street. Wiley. ISBN 978-1118441824.
  16. ^ "Gifts of $100 Million or More to Higher Education in 2018! | Tony's Thoughts". 22 February 2019.
  17. ^ "Davis gift establishes endowment for International Center - 4/9/2007 - PWB - Princeton".
  18. ^ "Eight named to Board of Trustees".
  19. ^ "Power and Money at Princeton".
  20. ^ "Montezuma castle, other Las Vegas buildings now open for tours - Albuquerque Journal".
  21. ^ "$100M pledge to benefit United World College - Albuquerque Journal".
  22. ^ "Shelby and Gale Davis' Visit at UWC Robert Bosch College".
  23. ^ "Leading educational philanthropist shares his message with Wartburg's Davis Scholars". 12 August 2020.
  24. ^ "UWC Scholars Program".
  25. ^ "The College of Idaho's Record-Setting Class Wins Davis Cup | the College of Idaho".
  26. ^ "Davis United World College Scholars Program (DUWCSP)".
  27. ^ "Davis United World College Scholars Program Marks 15 Years". 18 April 2015.
  28. ^ "Making the World a Better Place: Davis United World College Scholars at UF". 22 January 2017.
  29. ^ LAVINE, ALAN (2001). "Chris And Shelby Davis Trade Places".
  30. ^ "Major Private Gifts to Higher Education". 7 November 2022.
  31. ^ "Shelby Davis: "How UWC Has Made Me a Better Me"". 25 February 2020.
  32. ^ "Princeton - News - Multi-year, multi-million-dollar commitment will fund Davis UWC Scholarships, promote global understanding".
  33. ^ "Program report for 2018". 2018.


Works cited

  • Rothchild, John (2003). The Davis Dynasty: Fifty Years of Successful Investing on Wall Street. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-471-47441-8.