Edward Caradus OBE (6 December 1885 – 15 February 1969) was a New Zealand analytical chemist, educator and administrator.

His paternal grandparents, James and Elizabeth Caradus, had emigrated to New Zealand in 1842 on the ships Jane Gifford and Duchess of Argyle.

George Douglas Robb was one of his early pupils and commented in his autobiography that chemistry, presented by Caradus in a didactic way, fired his imagination.

In 1942, during World War II the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) appointed Caradus as its director of educational services with the rank of wing commander, while he also continued to work as senior inspector of secondary schools.

[8] Caradus was charged with the responsibility of ensuring a steady flow of appropriately educated young men, who would go on to train as aircrew with the RNZAF and the RAF.

[10][11] After a few weeks, however, it was found that men who were nominally up to standard were at a disadvantage on entering their service training in comparison with those who had done the pre-entry course.

[11] The importance of the aircrew pre-entry education scheme to New Zealand's war effort was acknowledged by the Prime Minister, Peter Fraser.

[1] By mid-1944 the focus of Caradus' role had changed from initial training to rehabilitation of returning airmen and sailors to the normal workforce.

In 1957, Caradus came out of retirement and accepted the position of Headmaster at Scots College, Wellington, New Zealand, for a period of two years.