Sir Eric Merton Miller (28 September 1926 – 22 September 1977) was an English businessman, who committed suicide while under investigation for fraud.

Early life

Miller was brought up in the Jewish community in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

, Surrey, and left school at the age of 16 to enlist in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

and was stationed at Drigh Road in Karachi (modern-day

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

) and served through the Partition. On his return, he worked as an estate agent in London. Shortly thereafter, he was spotted as a business talent by George Farrow who ran a small property company called Peachey. Farrow recruited Miller to work for him, and after Farrow's retirement, Miller became Chairman of Peachey.

Property dealings

Under Miller's guidance, Peachey Property Corporation took over many other companies and became the predominant freeholder for high-end leasehold properties in London. In the early 1960s, a sudden change in policy led Peachey to sell off some of the residential property in an attempt to become a major player in the commercial property field (then undergoing a boom). This attempt was not particularly successful. Miller was the developer of the Churchill Hotel in

Portman Square Portman Square is a garden square in Marylebone, central London, surrounded by elegant townhouses. It was specifically for private housing let on long leases having a ground rent by the Portman Estate, which owns the private communal gardens. ...

for the Loews US Corporation.

Political activity

Miller's father had been a Labour Party councillor and he also supported the party. In the early 1970s, Eric Miller began contributing to the running of

Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...

's private office and became a large financial supporter. He was appointed to the board of Labour Party Properties and served as Treasurer of the

Socialist International The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisations. ...

. He was also a long serving director of Fulham F.C. previously having a stand at the club's Craven Cottage stadium named after him, since renamed as the Riverside Stand.

Investigations

Miller received a

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

in the

1976 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours The 1976 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours were announced on 27 May 1976 to mark the resignation of the Prime Minister, Harold Wilson. The list of resignation honours became known satirically as the "Lavender List". Controversy The list cau ...

list. However, rumours were already growing that the financial dealings of his companies had not been legitimate, and his inclusion in the list was criticised. Investigations uncovered the siphoning off of large sums from the Peachey Property Corporation, and Miller was forced from the chairmanship and eventually off the Peachey board entirely in early 1977. The Fraud Squad and Department of Trade launched investigations, and Miller was served with four writs seeking restitution of funds he had allegedly taken.

Personal life and death

Miller was twice married, first to Leonore E. Frankel in 1950. The marriage ended in divorce. He married secondly to Myra Cohen in 1957. Miller died by suicide in September 1977, shooting himself in the head on the Jewish Day of Atonement.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Eric 1926 births 1977 deaths English fraudsters English white-collar criminals British real estate businesspeople English Jews Knights Bachelor Suicides by firearm in England Burials at Willesden Jewish Cemetery 20th-century English businesspeople 1977 suicides