Charles Lloyd Jones

Sir Charles Lloyd Jones (28 May 187830 July 1958) was an Australian businessman and patron of the arts, serving as Chairman of David Jones from 1920 to his death in 1958.

Early life and background Jones was born in 1878 in Burwood, New South Wales, to Edward Lloyd Jones and Helen Ann Jones, and was the grandson of the Welsh-born merchant David Jones. After attending the Manor House School, in London, and Homebush Grammar School, Jones studied from 1895 at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney and then the Slade School of Fine Art in London, England, but ultimately was unable to fulfil his ambition of becoming a professional artist. He later trained as a tailor and worked in that profession for several years in England before returning to Australia in 1902. On 16 November 1900 when visiting Sydney he married his first wife, Winifred Ethelwyn Quaife, the daughter of Barzillai Quaife (1798-1873), a Congregational and Presbyterian minister, but they had no children.

As both an artist himself and a patron of the arts in Sydney, Jones established the David Jones Art Gallery in the Elizabeth Street store in 1944, under the direction of Sir John Ashton. The Sir Charles Lloyd Jones Memorial Prize was named in his honour. A promoter of Sydney artists and in particular the work of William Dobell, Dobell painted Jones' portrait in 1951, which is now held in the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra. In a note to his sons regarding the family company he said: "David Jones is more than a material money-making concern, it is a great institution rendering a service to countless millions in the year, in fair dealing with the desire to serve all who enter its doors honestly, setting a new standard in commercial practice."

He was also publisher of Art in Australia. He was the inaugural Chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Commission 1932–34 and acting chairman of the Australian National Travel Association when in 1934 it launched Walkabout magazine. He was made a Knight Bachelor in the 1951 New Year's Honours.

Honours King George V Silver Jubilee Medal, 1935. King George VI Coronation Medal, 1937. Knight Bachelor, 1951 New Year Honours.

Arms