John Vaizey

John Ernest Vaizey, Baron Vaizey (1 October 1929 – 19 July 1984) was a British author and economist, who specialised in education.

Vaizey was the son of Ernest Vernon Vaizey and his wife Lucy Butler Hart. He was educated at the school of Queen Mary's Hospital and went then to Queens' College, Cambridge.

In 1952, he joined the United Nations Office at Geneva and after a year was elected a fellow at St Catharine's College, Cambridge. Three years later in 1956 Vaizey became employed as lecturer at the University of Oxford. He moved to the University of London in 1960, where he oversaw a research unit as its director for the next two years. Subsequently, Vaizey came to Worcester College, Oxford, having been appointed to its fellowship. In 1966, he obtained the new created professorship at the Brunel University, heading its school of social sciences from 1973.

Vaizey was offered the post of the vice-chancellor of the Monash University, based in Melbourne in 1975; however, after attacks by Australian artists against his close friend Bryan Robertson, who should have taken over the directorship of the National Gallery of Victoria, he declined the offer. In the 1976 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours he was designated for a life peerage and on 23 June, he was created Baron Vaizey, of Greenwich, in Greater London. In his last years Vaizey served as principal of the St Catherine's Foundation at Cumberland Lodge.