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