Leslie Galfreid Melville was born on 26 March 1902, studied economics at Sydney University (while also studying as an actuary), and obtained his first job in 1924 as Public Actuary for South Australia. In 1929, he was appointed Inaugural Professor of Economics at Adelaide University. In March 1931, Melville was appointed as the Economist to the Commonwealth Bank, a position he held until 1950 when he became Australia’s Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. In 1953, he left the Commonwealth Bank to take up an appointment as Vice-Chancellor of the Australian National University, a position he held until 1960. From 1960-1963, he was appointed Chairman of the Tariff Board. He subsequently served as a member of the Development Advisory Service of the International Bank and, from 1966 to 1974, Chairman of the Commonwealth Grants Commission. Melville died on 30 April 2002.