Robert Young Eaton

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Robert Young (R.Y.) Eaton was the nephew of Eaton's department store founder Timothy Eaton.

R.Y. Eaton took over control of the department stores when his cousin Sir John Craig Eaton died of pneumonia in 1922. Sir John's children were too young to take over the company, so R.Y. Eaton filled in until one of the children reached an appropriate age to take over.

R.Y. Eaton proved to be an extremely capable president, and he expanded the company tenfold. His cousin-in-law, Lady Flora McCrea Eaton, the widow of Sir John, never liked R.Y., and throughout her life she always referred to her branch of the family as the "owner Eatons" and R.Y.'s branch as the "worker Eatons".

Lady Eaton's son, John David Eaton, at the age of 33, eventually took over the presidency of the company, and R.Y. Eaton retired from business life.