Douglas Berry Copland was born on 24 February 1894 at Otaio, near Timaru in New Zealand. He was educated in New Zealand, including at Waimate District High School, Christchurch Teachers' Training College and Canterbury College, University of New Zealand. Rejected for war service, Copland worked as a statistical compiler, mathematics teacher and as a lecturer in economics for the Workers' Educational Association in Wellington and Christchurch (1915-17).

In 1917, Copland was appointed as a lecturer in history and economics at the University of Tasmania and was later Professor of Economics at the same university (1920-24). He then began a 21-year association with the University of Melbourne as Sidney Myer Professor of Commerce (1924-44), Dean of the Faculty of Commerce (1924-39 except 1933), Chairman of the Professorial Board (1935-37), Acting Vice-Chancellor (1936-37) and Truby Williams Professor of Economics (1944-45). In this period he was also a founding member and first President of the Economic Society of Australia and New Zealand (1925-28) and editor-in-chief of its journal 'Economic Record' (1925-45).

Both Commonwealth and other governments increasingly sought Copland's advice on a range of economic matters. He was Chairman of the Australian Loan Council's Committee of Economists and Under Treasurers which initiated the Premiers' Plan (1931), a member of New Zealand's Economic Committee (1932), Chairman of the Victorian State Economic Committee (1938-45) and a Commissioner of the Victorian State Savings Bank (1941-45). His appointments as Commonwealth Prices Commissioner and Economic Consultant to the Prime Minister (1940-45) were particularly significant for the development of economic and financial policy by the wartime Menzies and Curtin Governments.  

Copland's diplomatic skills were also employed as an Australian delegate to the 14th Session of the League of Nations (1933), Australian Minister to China (1946-48), High Commissioner to Canada (1953-56) and President of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (1955). In two further periods of academic administration, he became the first Vice-Chancellor of the Australian National University (1948-53) and was first Principal of the Australian Administrative Staff College at Mount Eliza Victoria (1956-59). Copland was also a long-serving member of the Commonwealth Immigration Planning Council (1949-68), first President of the Victorian Branch of the Business Archives Council of Australia (1957), inaugural Chairman of the Australian Productivity Council of Australia (1959) and first Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (early 1960s).
 
Throughout his career as an economist, academic administrator, bureaucrat and diplomat, Sir Douglas Copland received numerous honours. He was made a Companion in the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1933, Professor Emeritus by the University of Melbourne in 1946 and a Knight Commander in the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1950. He also received honorary degrees from, and was invited to give lectures at, several Australian and overseas universities. 

Sir Douglas died at Kyneton in Victoria in 1971. 

Publications:
Sir Douglas Copland's publications include:

1929 - The Australian Tariff
1930 - Credit and Currency Control: with special reference to Australia
1931 - Crisis in Australian Finance (with E O G Shann)
1931 - The Australian Economy: simple economic studies (several editions)
1931 - The Battle of the Plans
1933 - The Australian Price Structure 1932
1934 - Australia in the World Crisis 1929-1933
1945 - Report on Economic Conditions in the United Kingdom, United States of America and Canada
1951 - Inflation and Expansion in Australia: essays on the Australian economy

Sources:
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol 13 (1949-1980), pp 496-500
Who's Who in Australia 1971, p 226

Summary heading

  Sir Douglas Copland (CP 167)

Unregistered links

  1924-1945:   University of Melbourne (various positions)

  1932         :   New Zealand Government, Economic Committee – Member

  1938-1945:   Victorian Government, State Economic Committee – Chairman

  1956-1959:   Australian Administrative Staff College, Mt Eliza (Vic) – Principal

  1957         :   Business Archives Council of Australia, Victorian Branch – President

  1959         :   Australian Productivity Council – Chairman

c1962         :   Committee for Economic Development of Australia, Board of Trustees - Chairman