The Cambridge Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Cambridge Union, is the largest student society at the University of Cambridge and one of the oldest in the world. Additionally, the Cambridge Union served as a model for the subsequent foundation of similar societies at several other prominent universities including the Oxford Union and the Yale Political Union.

The Society?s Leadership

The Cambridge Union elects a student as its president every term. Past holders of the post include John Maynard Keynes, Rab Butler, Archbishop Michael Ramsey, Douglas Hurd (former British Foreign Secretary), Ken Clarke (former British Chancellor of the Exchequer), Michael Howard (former Home Secretary and now leader of the Conservative Party), Chris Smith and Arianna Huffington. Each term the Union also elects three officers, Senior Officer, Treasurer, and Entertainments Officer, which are responsible for running certain functions of the society such as inviting guest speakers or managing events. Finally, representatives for two committees, house and external, are elected every term and assist the president and officers in their duties.

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Past holders of the post - John Maynard Keynes - Rab Butler - Archbishop Michael Ramsey - Douglas Hurd - Ken Clarke - Michael Howard - Chris Smith - Arianna Huffington

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Recent Presidents continue to move into academia, the media and politics. Recent former Presidents include Clare Balding, one of the BBC's leading sports broadcasters, Chris Kelly, a Cambridge University Lecturer on Roman History and Rana Mitter, an Oxford University Lecturer in the History and Politics of Modern China. Others are following the 'traditional' route into politics. Gavin Barwell is Head of Operations at Conservative Central Office. Nicholas Boys Smith was a parliamentary candidate in the 2001 general election.

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Clare Balding - Gavin Barwell

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The standing committee, the Union?s primary day-to-day managing body, consists of the current President and Officers, the President-Elect and Officers-Elect, any ex officio Presidents or Officers currently resident in Cambridge, and three senior positions, filled by senior members of the University of MA standing or higher, consisting of the Senior Treasurer, Senior Librarian, and Steward. The standing committee makes appointments for several positions in the society including the Secretary/Vice-President and the Executive Department which includes positions such as the Director of Recruitment, Director of Communications, and Director of Information Technology.

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• List of Cambridge Union Society Presidents