Roy was a high-level railroad attorney who liked the land he saw either side of the rails and decided to become an industrial real estate tycoon.

He was born in Kaneville, Illinois in 1897 and grew up out in Wayne, Nebraska. He attended the University of Chicago and came away with a PhD and a law degree. His first job was as an attorney for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in Chicago. He then moved out West, becoming the railroad's sales manager in Los Angeles and special repre­sentative of the President.

Roy was 35 when Durward Howes asked him to be a founding member of the Economic Round Table. Along with Durward and other Rounders, he campaigned actively for Herbert Hoover in 1932 and was a delegate that year to the Republican national convention.

In 1943, he formed the LeRoy Owen Company, specializing in major land deals in Los Angeles and Orange counties. He was President of the Los Angeles Rotary Club, President of the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce and national President of the Society of Industrial Realtors, appearing several times before Congress as an advocate. He was a member of the Bar in California and Illinois.

Roy became President of the Economic Round Table in 1943-44 and enjoyed his memberships in the California Club, Annandale Golf Club and the Lincoln Club.

He died in Pasadena in 1973 at the age of 76, leaving his wife, Therese, two daughters and six grandchildren.