Earle Meyer Chiles (February 4, 1933 – June 23, 2016) was an American businessman and philanthropist from the US state of Oregon.

He went on the attend graduate school at Stanford University, receiving a master's degree in business administration from in 1958.

[2][3][7] Chiles was also the chief executive officer of Chiles and Affiliated Companies a real estate investment and property management firm based in Portland composed of several loosely associated partnerships that purchased land and then leased the property to Fred Meyer for its store sites.

[1][2][5][8] After the Fred Meyer retail chain was acquired in a leveraged buyout in 1981, Chiles became a minority shareholder in the business.

In 1986, a conflict arose between Chiles and Fred Meyer executives regarding the management of six partnerships that owned sites where 15 stores were located.

Chiles filed a lawsuit against Fred Meyer management, alleging that company officers, who held the majority share of the partnership stock, prevented minority stockholders from participating in management decisions and then entered into lease agreements with the Fred Meyer company based on artificially low real estate valuations for partnership properties.

[9][10] In addition to his business interests, Chiles was engaged in wide ranging philanthropy throughout his life.

During his tenure as president, the foundation contributed to numerous educational and cultural institutions and provided grants and scholarships to thousands of individuals.

[1][5][8] Throughout his life, Chiles supported higher education, donating millions of dollars to colleges and universities around the country.

Over the decades, Chiles also served on the board of trustees for a number of institutions, including Menlo College, University of Portland, Boston University, Harvard Business School, and Stanford Graduate School of Business.

In 1987, he created the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute at the Providence Cancer Center, naming the facility after his father.

After his death, his 5,681-square-foot (527.8 m2) penthouse apartment in the KOIN Center in downtown Portland was put on the market for $3.3 million (equivalent to $4,108,000 in 2023).

The apartment occupied three-quarters of the thirtieth floor of the building, with views looking out over the city in every direction.

[1][2][3][15] The Earle A. Chiles Business Center at the University of Oregon was the first privately donor-initiated building on that campus.