Edgar Finley Shannon Jr. (June 4, 1918 – August 24, 1997) was a professor of English and president of the University of Virginia from 1959 to 1974.

Shannon attended Washington and Lee University as an undergraduate, where he was an initiate of Omicron Delta Kappa.

Shannon's presidency encompassed the 1960s, and he helped to lead the university's response to social trends of the time.

[9] He is perhaps most remembered for his response to growing student unrest over the Vietnam War, during which he sent a letter to President Nixon opposing the invasion of Cambodia.

A movement to rename the University of Virginia’s main library building, originally named after first UVA president Edwin Alderman, began in September 2019.