
Sir Oswald Bernard Miller (25 March 1904 – 23 February 2003) was a British businessman, who was chairman of the
John Lewis Partnership
John Lewis Partnership plc (JLP) is a British company that operates John Lewis & Partners department stores, Waitrose supermarkets, financial services and a build to rent operation. The public limited company is owned by a trust on behalf o ...
from 1955 to 1972.
Life
Miller was educated at
Sloane School and
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship ...
, obtaining his
BA degree in 1927. He obtained a First in History and won the
Stanhope Prize for his essay, later published as a biography, on
Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford
Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, Order of the Garter, KG Privy Council of Great Britain, PC Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (5 December 1661 – 21 May 1724) was a British statesman of the late Stuart dynasty, Stuart and e ...
. The college made him an Honorary
Fellow
A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...
in 1968.
He joined the John Lewis Partnership in 1927, and was appointed a director in 1935. He served as chairman between 1955 and 1972, and was knighted in 1967. He was also a member of the
Council of Industrial Design
The Design Council, formerly the Council of Industrial Design, is a United Kingdom charity incorporated by royal charter. Its stated mission is "to champion great design that improves lives and makes things better".
It was instrumental in the pro ...
(1957 to 1966) and the
Monopolies Commission
The Competition Commission was a non-departmental public body responsible for investigating mergers, markets and other enquiries related to regulated industries under competition law in the United Kingdom. It was a competition regulator under t ...
(1961 to 1969). He was also associated with
Southampton University
The University of Southampton (abbreviated as ''Soton'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university in Southampton, England. Southampton is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities in the United K ...
, as Treasurer (1974 to 1982), Chairman of the Council (1982 to 1987) and Pro-Chancellor (1983 to 1990). He was awarded an honorary doctorate of laws by the University in 1981. He died on 23 February 2003.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Bernard
1904 births
2003 deaths
Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford
John Lewis Partnership people
British businesspeople in retailing
Knights Bachelor
People associated with the University of Southampton
20th-century British businesspeople