Ralph Owen

Ralph Owen (1905–1983) was an American businessman. He served as the Chairman of American Express (NYSE: AXP).

Ralph Owen
BornOctober 3, 1905
Hartsville, Tennessee, U.S.
Died1983
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationBusinessman

Early life

Ralph Owen was born on October 3, 1905 in Hartsville, Tennessee.[1] He had two brothers, Robert E. Owen and Roy Owen, and two sisters, Mrs. Mark Lowrey and Mrs. Pat W. Swaney.[1] He graduated from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee in 1928.[1]

Career

In 1930, Owen founded the Equitable Securities Corporation of Nashville, an investment bank offering credit cards, travel and banking services. It merged with American Express in 1968.[1] Later, he served as the Chairman of American Express.[1][2]

Additionally, Owen served on the Board of Directors of the Nashville Gas Company, the R. C. Owen Company and Tennessee Natural Gas Lines Inc.[1]

Philanthropy

Owen sat on the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Vanderbilt University, and later as the President of its Board of Trust.[1][3] The Owen Graduate School of Management was renamed in his honor in 1977.[4] Additionally, the Ralph Owen Chair is also named in his honor; it is currently by Professor Eric Johnson, Dean of the Owen Graduate School of Management.[5]

Personal life

Owen was married to Lulu Hampton.[1] They had a son, Ralph Owen Jr., and a daughter, Melinda Bass.[1] They resided at Brook Hill in Nashville, Tennessee.[1][6]

Death

Owen died at the Vanderbilt University Hospital in 1983.[1]

References
  1. Ralph Owen, 78, Dies; Led American Express, The New York Times, November 7, 1983
  2. Peter Z. Grossman, American Express: The People Who Built the Great Financial Empire, Beard Books, 1987, p. 371
  3. G. Alexander Heard, Speaking of the University: Two Decades at Vanderbilt, Nashville, Tennessee: Vanderbilt University Press, 1995, p. xiii
  4. Vanderbilt University: Owen Graduate School of Management
  5. Owen Graduate School of Management: Endowed Chairs
  6. Nashville: a short history and selected buildings, Historical Commission of Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County, 1974, p. 191
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