Ian Potter

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Potter at the conferring of his honorary doctorate. 15 December 1973.

Exterior of the Ian Potter Museum of Art.

Sir Ian Potter (25 August 1902 -- 24 October 1994) was an influential Australian businessman and philanthropist. The Ian Potter Foundation, which he established in 1964, has made large grants to dozens of research institutes, charities, universities and arts organisations. The Ian Potter Centre at Federation Square (part of the National Gallery of Victoria), the Ian Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourne and the Ian Potter Children's Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens are but a few of his legacies in Melbourne today.

In 1962 he was knighted. In 1973 he received an honorary doctorate of laws from the University of Melbourne.

In the cultural sphere, Potter was the chairman of many boards including the Australian Ballet, Australian Opera and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust. He was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 1978.

He was survived by his wife Primrose, Lady Potter and his daughter Caroly who is married to Simon Humphrey Parker Bowles brother of Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles former husband of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.