Royal Academy of Arts to that drawn up by Cheere in 1755. It was Sir William Chambers, a prominent architect and head of the British government's architects' department, the Office of Works, who used his connections with George III to gain royal patronage and financial support for the Academy in 1768. The painter Joshua Reynolds was made its first president, and Francis Milner Newton was elected the first secretary, a post he held for two decades until his resignation in 1788. The instrument of foundation, signed by George III on 10 December 1768, named 34 founder members and allowed for a total membership of
Royal Academy of Cambodia In 1999 this institution became the Royal Academy of Cambodia (RAC), with five sub institutes - the Institute of Biology, Medicine and Agriculture, the Institute of Culture and Fine Arts, the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Institute of National Language, and the Institute of Science and Technology. On July 17, 2009, Lok Chumteav Klot Thida was sworn in as president of the academy. The previous president, Sorn Samnang, now serves as an advisor to the Cambodian government. Prime Minister Hun Sen officially became a member of the Royal Academy of Cambodia in a ceremony held here on April