Tracy Philipps  James Erasmus Tracy Philipps (20 Nov 1888 – 21 July 1959) was a British public servant. At various stages in his career he was a British Army intelligence officer, colonial administrator, traveller, ethnologist, journalist, propagandist, conservationist, and secret agent. A reform-minded District Commissioner in Colonial Uganda, in later life he led efforts to create African National Parks as Secretary-General of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The product of an old, upper-class family, Philipps possessed determination and high self-esteem as well as a great deal of ambition – though his personal eccentricity sometimes undermined his goals. Tracy Philipps was the only child of the Rev. John Erasmus Philipps (7 May 1863, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire – 3 May 1923, Salisbury, Wiltshire) and Margaret Louisa Everard (née ffolkes) (died 1954), who later married Harold Dillon, 17th Viscount Dillon after the death of her first husband. The elder Philipps was Vicar of Staindrop in County Durham and domestic chaplain to the 9th Baron Barnard. His son Tracy was born in Hillington, Norfolk, the traditional home of his wife's family. The younger Philipps enrolled at Abingdon School in May 1899. From September 1904 he boarded at Marlborough College, and left in December 1906. At Marlborough he played as a forward in inter-house rugby matches. In February 1907 he was one of a few dozen Old Marlburians (among them John Feetham and Leonard Outerbridge) accepted for membership of the Marlburian Club alumni association after a meeting of the club committee held in Old Queen Street, Westminster. According to the Christmas 1907 edition of "The Abingdonian" magazine Philipps was still undecided about which university he would attend but was nonetheless 'endeavouring to obtain a scholarship at Jesus, Cambridge' – an effort that was ultimately unsuccessful. For university he is said to have eventually studied at Oxford for a period of time. What is known for certain is that he entered Durham University in 1910. Like his father, John, and Uncle, Francis ffolkes, 5th Baronet, he was a member of Hatfield Hall and graduated in 1912 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classics. He was Secretary of Durham University Boat Club in 1911. He also served as President of the Durham Union for Epiphany term of 1912, and was Editor of "The Sphinx", a student magazine with a satirical tone.