About Charles H. Dyson: Our School Namesake

The Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management is named in honor of an entrepreneur, public servant, and philanthropist.

Early History and Career

Charles H. Dyson was born in New York City in 1909, the same year the agricultural economics major was established at Cornell University; the academic unit would later become the Dyson School.
The son of an English father and an Irish mother, Dyson turned down a scholarship to attend a traditional residential college. Instead, he took night classes in accounting and business law at what is now Pace University while working days to help his family during the Great Depression.

Dyson’s career began at Price, Waterhouse & Co. but shifted radically during World War II. He served as a special consultant to the Secretary of War and a colonel in the U.S. Army Air Corps. For his service, Dyson received an Army Distinguished Service Medal and was made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

In 1954, Dyson purchased a company with borrowed funds and $8,000 of his own money—a pioneering type of deal that became known as a leveraged buyout—and launched the Dyson Corp. In 1957, longtime friend Frank Kissner joined him as a business partner, followed 10 years later by John Moran. The Dyson-Kissner-Moran Corp. is still in business today as an international leader in leveraged buyouts.

Community and Family: Establishing a Legacy of Giving

Dyson served on the boards of charitable, health care, and arts organizations, and he supported them philanthropically. Of particular note is his relationship with Pace University, whose College of Arts and Sciences is named in his honor. As chairman of Pace’s board, he donated tens of millions of dollars, acted as a primary fundraiser, and helped guide the school’s transition from a technical institute to a college and then a university.

Founded in 1957, the Dyson Foundation today grants millions of dollars each year, primarily to safety-net programs for residents of New York’s Hudson Valley.

The family legacy at Cornell is also strong. Dyson and his wife, Margaret (1911-1990), raised four children: John Dyson ’65 and Robert R. Dyson MBA’ 74, both Cornell trustees emeriti; Peter Dyson, former undergraduate program advisory council member; and Anne Dyson. Four of their 10 grandchildren are also Cornellians: Leigh Dyson Geller ’94, Eliza Dyson ’98, Karen Dyson ’06, and Brian Dyson ’11.

A Video Tribute: The Legacy of Charles H. Dyson

Charles Dyson passed away in 1997 at age 87, leaving a legacy of hard work, entrepreneurial initiative, and committed philanthropy that his family upholds. This video reflects on his life and legacy.