1894 by Lord Rayleigh and William Ramsay. Past presidents Since 1799, the Royal Institution has had fifteen presidents and one acting president. 1799 – George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea 1813 – George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer 1825 – Thomas Pelham, 2nd Earl of Chichester 1827 – Edward Adolphus Seymour, 11th Duke of Somerset 1842 – Algernon Percy, 4th Duke of Northumberland 1865 – Sir Henry Holland, 1st Baronet 1873 – Algernon George Percy, 6th Duke of Northumberland 1899 – Henry George Percy, 7th Duke of Northumberland 1918 – Alan Ian Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland 1930 – Lord Eustace Percy, raised to the peerage as 1st Baron Percy of Newcastle in 1953 1945 – Robert John Strutt, 4th Baron Rayleigh 1948 – John Theodore Cuthbert Moore-Brabazon, 1st Baron Brabazon of Tara 1963 – Alexander Fleck, 1st Baron Fleck 1968 – William Wellclose Davis (acting) 1969 – Harold Roxbee Cox, Baron Kings Norton 1976 – Prince Edward, Duke of Kent Past directors The leadership of the Royal Institution has had various titles: Director of the Laboratory Director of the Davy-Faraday Research Laboratory Director The position was abolished in 2010. The Institution's last director was Susan Greenfield. Sarah Harper, Professor of Gerontology at the University of Oxford, was announced as the new Director of the Ri in April 2017 and resigned in September 2017. Andrade controversy In 1952, Edward Andrade was forced to resign following a complicated controversy over the management of the Royal Institution and his powers as director, involving a power struggle with Alexander Rankine who was secretary. Following various resignations and general meetings of members, Andrade was awarded £7,000 by arbitration: the arbitrators blamed the problems on "a lack of clear definition of roles ... an outdated constitution, and the inability of the protagonists to compromise". Andrade launched a lawsuit to set the arbitration aside, which he lost. Director Greenfield firing From 1998 to 8 January 2010, the director of the Royal Institution was Baroness Susan Greenfield, but following a review, the position was abolished for being "no longer affordable". The Royal Institution had found itself in a financial crisis following a £22 million development programme led by Greenfield, which included refurbishment of the institution's main Albemarle Street building, and the addition of a restaurant and bar with an aim to turn the venue into a "Groucho club for science". The project ended £3 million in debt.