| Earle A. Chiles | |
| Birth Date: | 9 September 1904 |
| Birth Place: | Baker City, Oregon |
| Occupation: | Business executive, philanthropist |
| Years Active: | 19181982 |
| Known For: | Fred 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 |
Earle Arden Chiles (September 9, 1904December 5, 1982) was a former president of Fred Meyer, Inc. and founder of the Chiles Foundation in Portland, Oregon.[1]
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]
After graduating from 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]
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]