Ernest Charles Drury (1878-1968) was born and raised on a farm in Ontario, was a graduate of the Ontario Agricultural College and in 1914 became the first president of the United Farmers of Ontario. This organization formed the provincial government from 1919-1923, during which time Drury served as Prime Minister.

Throughout his political career, Drury urged, "vocational training not be overdone to the point where it overshadowed the general education needed to stimulate independent thought and allow for the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake." He is known for his efforts to educate, encourage and raise the morale of those condemned to lower levels of achievement in Ontario’s less than monolithic rural community.