John Leofric Stocks DSO (26 October 1882 – 13 June 1937) was a British philosopher and was briefly Vice Chancellor of the University of Liverpool in 1937.

Stocks was born the sixth of twelve children to John Edward Stocks, the vicar of Market Harborough, Leicestershire.^[1]

He was educated at Rugby School and Corpus Christi College, Oxford and graduated in 1903. In 1906, he was an elected fellow and tutor of St. John's College, Oxford. Except for war service, he remained there until 1924.

Stocks served in the British Army with the King's Royal Rifle Corps during the First World War, and he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for gallantry at Beaucourt. In 1924, he was elected professor of philosophy at the University of Manchester, and, in 1936, he was appointed vice-chancellor of the University of Liverpool.

His professional philosophical interests were in Aristotelian studies and Epicureanism. In fact, he was president of the Aristotelian Society. He edited the Leaders of Philosophy book series (Ernest Benn Ltd.).^[2]

He married Mary Danvers Brinton, who was later Baroness Stocks, with whom he had a son and two daughters. Stocks died on a visit to Swansea in 1937.^[3] Stocks was also a versatile sportsman and played rugby, hockey and cricket.^[4]