| Ralph Owen | |
| Birth Date: | October 3, 1905 |
| Birth Place: | Hartsville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Death Date: | 1983 |
| Death Place: | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Businessman |
Ralph Owen (1905–1983) was an American businessman. He served as the Chairman of American Express .
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]
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]
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]
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]
Owen died at the Vanderbilt University Hospital in 1983.[1]