Former Conservative leader William Hague has been elected chancellor of Oxford University, beating Labour peer Peter Mandelson among others to the job.
With two people left in the final round of voting, Lord Hague narrowly won against Lady Elish Angiolini by 12,609 votes to 11,006.
She had been tipped to become the prestigious university’s first female chancellor.
As a distinguished lawyer, she had conducted independent inquiries for governments, including into the murder of Sarah Everard.
Other competition included Labour peer Baroness Jan Royall and former Conservative minister Dominic Grieve.
“My heart and soul are in Oxford and I will dedicate myself in the coming years to serving the university I love,” Lord Hague said in a statement.
Lord Hague, 63, will be formally inaugurated in his role early in the New Year and serve for a term of 10 years.
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The chancellor presides over key university ceremonies, undertaking fundraising work and acting as an ambassador at local, national and international events.
Lord Hague graduated from Magdalen College, Oxford in 1982 with a degree in philosophy, politics and economics.
He becomes the 160th recorded chancellor in the university’s history, a role which dates back at least 800 years.
He takes over from Lord Chris Patten, another former senior Conservative politician, who is retiring at the age of 80 after 20 years in the role.
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Oliver Cromwell, the first Duke of Wellington, and prime ministers Lord Salisbury and Harold Macmillan are some of those who have occupied the post.
Names tipped for the post included former prime ministers Tony Blair, Boris Johnson and Theresa May, as well as former Pakistan prime minister and cricket captain Imran Khan.
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All of them went to Oxford, although this is not a requirement to be chancellor.
Candidates needed 50 nominations to secure a place in the election, in which more than 24,000 former students and past and present members of the university’s governing body took part.
