Birthday profile

Eric Dancer

Eric Dancer, English businessman and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Devon

Born
April 17, 1940
Age in 2026
86
Zodiac sign
Aries
Birth year
1940

About Eric Dancer

Sir Eric Dancer (born 17 April 1940) is a British businessman and formerly Lord-Lieutenant of Devon. == Biography == Dancer was born in Sheffield in 1940. He won a scholarship to King Edward VII School and went on to Sheffield Polytechnic where he became a graduate of the Chartered Institute of Management and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply. After moving to Devon in 1980 he attained the Diploma in Company Direction at Exeter University. His career has been in industry, with over 30 years at Board level of which the last 20 were as Managing Director of Dartington Crystal, prior to his retirement in 2000. He was the founding Chairman of Devon and Cornwall Training and Enterprise Council, the TEC National Council, the West Country Development Corporation, served as a National TEC Assessor, Advisor to the Secretary of State for Employment, Member of the National Training Task Force, Member of the Councils of the CBI and Royal Society of Arts and as a Governor of the University of Plymouth. In 1998 he was appointed Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Devon (a post which he held until 2015), and a Knight of Grace of the Order of St John and Justice of the Peace. In 2001 he received an Honorary Doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University and in 2002 was commissioned Honorary Captain Royal Naval Reserve. Honorary Doctorates of Law and Business were conferred by Exeter and Plymouth Universities respectively in 2010. He is a Freeman of the City of London, Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers, Life Member of the Royal Society of Arts, President, Patron or Trustee of some 20 Charities in Devon, Chairman of the Magistrates Advisory Committee for Devon and Cornwall and Devon County President of The Reserve Forces and Cadets.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

The world when Eric Dancer was born

Eric Dancer was born in 1940. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1940

  • #1 song"In the Mood" – Glenn Miller
  • Top movieRebecca
  • Best-selling bookFor Whom the Bell Tolls – Ernest Hemingway

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentFirst televised college basketball game
  • Top headlineWinston Churchill becomes British Prime Minister
  • Technology milestoneFirst McDonald's restaurant opens
  • Defining fadSwing music hits its peak
  • Notable inventionJeep (military vehicle)
  • World population2.30 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderFranklin D. Roosevelt
  • Sports championCincinnati Reds (World Series)
  • U.S. population132.2M

1940 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Eric Dancer's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19402026
Gas$0.18$3.45/gal
Average home$5,300$435,000
Average income$3,100$67,500
Minimum wage$0.30$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.25$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population132.2M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Companies House, Who's Who UK. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.