Dr Herbert Cole (Nugget) Coombs was Chancellor of the Australian National University from 1968 to 1976 but his active interest in the University spans nearly four decades. As Director-General of Post-War Reconstruction, he was a member of the ANU Interim Council and then of Council, serving as Deputy Chair from 1952 and Pro-Chancellor from 1959 to 1968. Dr Coombs instigated many new initiatives in the University, including the Creative Arts Fellowship for Australian artists and the establishment of the North Australian Research Unit. In January 1949 Dr Coombs became governor of the Commonwealth Bank. In 1972, he was appointed to Economic Advisor to the Commonwealth Government. He also served as a Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Chair of the Australian Council for Aboriginal Affairs and Chair of the Australian Council for the Arts. Coombs died in 1997 at Kalamunda, Western Australia.