Builders

by Pratt, Joseph A.; Castaneda, Christopher J.

• ISBN13: 9781585442669
• ISBN10: 1585442666
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-02-01
• Publisher: Texas A & M Univ Pr

Summary

Herman and George R. Brown, formidable figures in the construction industry and Texas politics, made a unique business team. Practical and decisive Herman and university-trained, soft-spoken George, a natural salesperson, combined their individual strengths, strong work ethic, and ambition to develop Brown & Root, one of America's preeminent construction companies. Builders serves both as a history of their lives and as an examination of business life in mid-twentieth-century America. In addition to examining the brothers' business accomplishments, the authors address the Browns' philanthropic work, political influence, antiunionism, and longtime relationship with Lyndon Baines Johnson.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Preface: The Brown Brothers
Roots of Success, 1892-32
Family Background	p. 5
Road Builders	p. 19
Laying Foundations in Depression and War, 1932-45
Public Works and the Marshall Ford Dam	p. 43
Defense Contractor	p. 66
The Browns in the Postwar Boom, 1945-62
Diversifying into Texas Eastern	p. 95
Brown and Root's Postwar Diversification	p. 124
Building Circles of Influence	p. 157
Building Universities	p. 192
George Alone, 1962-83
Business after Herman's Death	p. 221
Innovations in Philanthropy	p. 253
Legacies	p. 272
Notes	p. 281
Index	p. 311
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