Roll was born in
Nowosielitza,
Austro-Hungarian Empire and grew up near
Czernowitz in
Bukovina, which became part of
Romania and is now part of
Ukraine. His parents, Matthias and Fanny Roll, were of Middle European origin. His father was a bank manager, and his mother's brother was a distinguished member of the law faculty at the
University of Vienna. When
World War I saw
Russian troops burn down the village, his family took refuge in
Vienna. His parents then sent him to
England in the 1920s and he studied at
Birmingham University. Shortly afterwards, he completed his
PhD and published his first book. He mixed with artistic and creative circles. By the age of 28, Roll became Professor of Economics and Commerce at
University College, Hull, appointed with the backing of
John Maynard Keynes and
Lord Stamp. Perhaps his most enduring work from this time was the publication in 1938 of his book
A History of Economic Thought, which subsequently went through several editions. During
World War II, however, he was recruited to the
civil service as deputy head of the British Food Mission (1941–1946), where he was principally involved in the procurement of food supplies - most notably dried eggs. He made a number of contacts in the
United States and rejected the offer to head the
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, instead joining the British Ministry of Food. His economic experience and contacts made him invaluable in the post-war government and he was the British representative in the
Paris discussions on
Marshall aid. He played an important role in the setting up of European and trans-Atlantic institutions before rejoining the
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Roll was about to accept the
vice-chancellorship of
Liverpool University, but was asked to go to
Washington, D.C. as economic minister at the British embassy from 1963 to 1964. Then, when
Labour won the
1964 election, he became
permanent secretary of the new Department of Economic Affairs, despite not agreeing with its development. Roll was also a director of the
Bank of England between 1968 and 1977, He was chairman of the
Bilderberg meetings between 1986 and 1989. ==Honours==