Sir Eric Macfadyen (9 February 1879 – 13 July 1966) was an English colonial administrator, rubber planter, businessman and developer of tropical agriculture.

[3] Macfadyen interrupted his university studies to volunteer as a trooper in the 59th Company, the Imperial Yeomanry to serve in the Second Boer War in 1900–01.

[6] After graduating from Oxford with a second in Greats,[5] and the award of an MA degree,[4] Macfadyen entered the Malayan civil service and served for three years from 1902 to 1905.

From there he went into planting[5] and developed significant interests in plantations and the rubber industry which he expanded over the years becoming chairman and director of numerous related companies.

[12] He also served as Chairman of the Ross Institute and Hospital for Tropical diseases, Putney Heath from 1946 to 1958 and was particularly connected to its work to combat malaria.

[6] He was Liberal candidate for Devizes at the 1923 general election winning the seat from the sitting Conservative MP, William Cory Heward Bell, albeit by the narrow majority of 628 votes.

Macfadyen tried to regain his seat at the 1929 general election, this time in a three-cornered contest with the Tories and Labour but trailed the Conservative winner by 1,251 votes.