G. Cullom Davis was born May 2, 1935 in Aurora, IL to George and Elizabeth (Scripps) Davis of Peoria, IL. He graduated from Princeton University with an A.B. degree in history in 1957, after which he taught at the Punahou School in Hawaii from 1957-1959 before returning to Illinois and completing his Masters and Ph.D. in American History at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Davis joined Indiana University in 1964, first as a Lecturer in History and later as Assistant Professor. He served as Director of the Lilly Program in American History from 1965-1967 and Associate Dean of the Junior Division from 1967-1970.

In 1969, Davis was recruited as a founding member of Sangamon State University (later University of Illinois-Springfield). As the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, Davis held primary responsibility for establishing academic programs and recruiting faculty. He resigned this position in 1971, becoming an Associate Professor of History (later Professor of History). Davis founded and served as director of SSU’s Oral History Office in 1973, was active in the creation of the Clayville Rural Life Center and served in various administrative and committee roles which shaped the history program at Sangamon State and the university as a whole.

In addition to his oral history work, Davis conducted research on the Springfield Race Riot of 1908, Futurism, and Abraham Lincoln. In 1981, Davis became the Director of the Lincoln Legal Papers project, which worked to identify, interpret, and digitize all known legal works of Abraham Lincoln. As a member of Citizens United for Responsible Education, Davis worked to end segregation in the Springfield Public Schools.

Davis retired from the University of Illinois-Springfield in 2000 and was named a professor emeritus of history; in 2006 he received the University of Illinois Distinguished Service Award.

Davis passed away on September 9, 2022 in Springfield, IL.