Born in New Brunswick, Earle Douglas MacPhee earned his M.A. and B.Ed. (1920) from the University of Edinburgh after returning from overseas duty. He held regular and visiting faculty appointments in psychology departments at Acadia, Alberta, Toronto, Iowa, and Chicago during the next decade. In 1929, he pursued a business career until 1950, when he was appointed Director of UBC's School of Commerce and Honourary Bursar of the university. Along with Senator Don Cameron, MacPhee helped establish the Banff School of Advanced Management in 1952. He was appointed as the first Dean of the new Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration in 1956, which he held until his retirement in 1963. Keenly interested in his Scottish heritage, MacPhee published several works on his clan, and, in 1981, he was appointed as Commander of the MacPhee Clan. For more biographical information about MacPhee, refer to his autobiography entitled Footsteps (LB 775 M36 A3 1966).
Initial attempts to establish a commerce undergraduate degree program began in 1916, with the impetus coming from the Vancouver Board of Trade. Shortage of funds temporarily delayed the implementation of the suggested program, but continued interest resulted in the introduction of five courses in 1929. In September 1939, Ellis Morrow became head of a separate Department of Commerce within the Faculty of Arts and Science. Under Morrow's direction, the department grew, and in 1950, its status was changed to a school under the leadership of MacPhee. Six years later, the Senate and Board of Governors approved the establishment Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration.