Robert J. Barnes, 86; Made Estee Lauder a Cosmetics Giant

Robert J. Barnes, 86, a former chief executive of Estee Lauder who built the cosmetic company into an internationally recognized firm, died Sunday of natural causes in his home in Monarch Beach, Calif.

Barnes joined Estee Lauder in 1964 when the company was in its infancy. He served for 26 years as president and chief executive officer, building it into a dominant cosmetics company with an estimated sales volume of more than $1 billion at the time of his retirement in 1991. His successor, Robin Burns, told Women’s Wear Daily that Barnes had left her “the best-organized company in the business.”

Born in Kalamazoo, Mich., Barnes graduated from Northwestern University. During World War II, he was decorated for saving the lives of troops trapped in a downed aircraft during his duty on Guadalcanal. Barnes retired from the Marines with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

At war’s end, he settled in San Marino, where he went into the cosmetics business, developing the Dorothy Gray products into a major brand on the West Coast.