Earle A. Chiles

Earle Arden Chiles (September 9, 1904 – December 5, 1982) was a former president of Fred Meyer, Inc. and founder of the Chiles Foundation in Portland, Oregon.[1]

Earle A. Chiles
Born(1904-09-09)September 9, 1904
Baker City, Oregon
DiedDecember 5, 1982(1982-12-05) (aged 78)
Portland, Oregon
OccupationBusiness executive, philanthropist
Years active1918–1982
Known forFred Meyer, Inc.
Chiles Center
Earl A. Chiles Business Center
Earle A. Chiles Center and award
Earle A. Chiles Research Institute at Providence Portland Medical Center

Early life and education

Chiles was born in 1904 in Baker City, Oregon, the son of Ira Chiles and Eva Chatfield.[2] After his parents divorced in 1908, Chiles and his mother moved to Portland where Mrs. Chiles met and later married Fred Meyer.[3]

He began working for his stepfather in 1918 while still in high school, and after graduating from the University of Oregon he earned a master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.[1]

Career

After graduate school, Chiles returned to Fred Meyer, Inc. and quickly rose through management ranks, serving as company president from 1955 to 1968.[3]

He formed the Chiles Foundation in 1949[4] and became active in grants for education and research. An endowment in 1984 created the Chiles Center at the University of Portland.[5]

Personal life

While at Harvard, Chiles married Virginia Hughes.[6] Their son, Earle M. Chiles, later continued his father's work at the Chiles Foundation.[7]

Chiles had been president of the Portland State University foundation and had been a director of the University of Oregon foundation. He was a member of the Arlington Club, Waverley Country Club, and Portland Yacht Club.[1]

References
  1. "Former Fred Meyer president Earle Chiles dies". The Oregonian. Portland. December 6, 1982. pp. B3.
  2. Later the namesake of Eve's Buffet Restaurants at many Fred Meyer locations, see "Lehman Brothers Collection: Fred Meyer, Inc". Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  3. Leeson, Fred (2014). My-Te-Fine Merchant. Portland: Irvington Press. pp. 66–68 (iBook). ISBN 978-0996062602.
  4. "Manta: Chiles Foundation". Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  5. "University of Portland to upgrade Chiles Center with $2 million pledge". The Oregonian. Portland. October 11, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  6. Namesake of the Virginia Hughes Chiles Atrium at the Boston University School of Management
  7. Matsumoto, Samantha (June 24, 2016). "Earle M. Chiles, Portland businessman and philanthropist, dies at age 83". The Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
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