Kenneth Baillieu Myer

Personal

Vocation

Lifestyle

Family

American-born Australia businessman and philanthropist. Myer was born the eldest son of a successful merchant family who owned the well-known Myer's Department store in Melbourne, Australia. He enjoyed a privileged childhood while his father built a retail empire. Sadly his dad died in 1934, while young Kenneth was only 13. Nevertheless, Sidney had made his mark on Australian society as a successful businessman and philanthropist. During WWII, Kenneth served in the Royal Australian Navy. Following the war and newly married, he began working at Myer's Emporium and developed the business further. Still a young man and following in his father's footsteps, he became a trustee of the Sidney Myer fund and subsequently of the Myer Fund, and as such, gave oversight to the distribution of philanthropic gifts to civic, literary, artistic, humanitarian and charitable causes. In 1960 he became quite active in the National Library Council and served as Chair of the Council from 1974-1982. In 1973 he was a member of the first Australian trade mission to China. All the while, he was active in the family businesses in several high-level capacities: as Deputy Chairman and Managing Directory (1960-66) and as Chairman (1966-76) of Myer Emporium Ltd.and later as Director of Coles Myer Ltd. In 1947 he married Prudence Boyd and they had five children. They divorced in 1976 and he married Yasuko Hiraoka in 1979. He and Yasuko were killed in a small plane crash over Alaska on July 20, 1992 Link to Wikipedia biography