proprietor

noun

1. An owner.

   “Here the proprietor has had the good sense of holding on to the good old fashion of giving his customers their moneyworth of good wines and liquors.”

   “The [Washington] Post's proprietor through those turbulent [Watergate] days, Katharine Graham, held a double place in Washington’s hierarchy: at once regal Georgetown hostess and scrappy newshound, ready to hold the establishment to account. That is a very American position. British journalists shun complete respectability, feeling a duty to be ready to savage the mighty, or rummage through their bins.”

2. A sole owner of an unincorporated business, also called a sole proprietor.
3. One of the owners of an unincorporated business, a partner.
4. One or more persons to whom a colonial territory is assigned, like a fief, including its administration.

   “From 10 September 1621 till 12 June 1632, Sir William Alexander, styled Earl of Stirling and Viscount of Canada, was proprietor of the Scottish colony Nova Scotia.”