Derick Heathcoat Amory was born on 26 December 1899 and educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford. He entered Parliament in 1945 as the Member for Tiverton, Devon, and represented the constituency for fifteen years. He held numerous parliamentary appointments including Minister for Pensions, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and, from 1958 to 1960, Chancellor of the Exchequer. He became High Commissioner for the United Kingdom in Canada, 1961-1963 and was presented with an honorary LLD from McGill University. British universities also honoured him and, in 1972, he was appointed Chancellor of Exeter University. The College made him an Honorary Fellow in 1974 when the annual meeting was held at Exeter. He died on 20 January 1981 aged 82 years.