Portrait of Arthur Vining Davis (1867-1962), American industrialist and philanthropist best known for his work with the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa).

Born in Sharon, Massachusetts, Arthur Vining Davis attended Boston's Roxbury Latin School and graduated from Amherst College in 1888. Following graduation, Davis joined the Pittsburgh Reduction Company, which at the time was experimenting with ways to mass produce aluminum at a low cost. Capitalizing on the work of Charles Martin Hall, the company poured the first commercial aluminum in 1888 and, under Davis' leadership, built a reputation for the manufacture and sale of quality aluminum products. The firm rebranded as the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) in 1907 and Davis became president of Alcoa in 1910. While serving as president and later chairman of the board (1928-1958), Davis transformed Alcoa into an industrial giant and was awarded the Presidential Certificate of Merit in recognition of the firm's work supplying the government with aluminum during World War II.