Professor Richard Charles Mills OBE (8 March 1886 – 6 August 1952) was an Australian economist and academic.

He was head of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Sydney for 23 years, and a key member of several Australian government instrumentalities.

He enlisted with the British Army in December 1915, and after officer training served in France and Belgium with the 61st Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, and suffered from a gas attack at Armentières in April 1918, when he was mentioned in dispatches.

In 1949 he persuaded Chifley of the value of financial assistance to university students, which ushered in the Commonwealth scholarships scheme.

In 1950 he was chairman of the committee on financing of universities which recommended a grants system, which resulted in expanded teaching and research capabilities and higher academic standards, an achievement of which Prime Minister Robert Menzies proudly pointed to as an achievement of his government.

It remains to this day; and the Australian National University has named a boardroom in the Chancelry Building in Mills' honour.

Mills was a keen sportsman; he excelled at Australian Rules football, tennis and cricket, and played the latter two well into middle age.

Mills married Irishwoman Helen Elizabeth Crawford at Ballymena, Ireland on 14 October 1916.

Mills, who suffered from chronic nephritis and arteriosclerosis, died in a hospital on 6 August 1952 and was cremated.