Stephen Bechtel Sr.

Stephen Davison Bechtel (September 24, 1900 – March 14, 1989)[1] was the son of Clara Alice West and Warren A. Bechtel, founder of the Bechtel Corporation. He was the president of the company from 1933 to 1960.

"Stephen Bechtel" redirects here. For his son, see Stephen Bechtel Jr.
Stephen Davison Bechtel
BornSeptember 24, 1900
Aurora, Indiana, U.S.
Died14 March 1989(1989-03-14) (aged 88)
Oakland, California, U.S.
Resting placeMountain View Cemetery
Oakland, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationBusinessman
Spouse
Laura A. Peart
​
(m. 1923)​
Children2, including Stephen Jr.
Parent
RelativesKenneth K. Bechtel (brother)

Early life

Stephen Davison Bechtel was born on September 24, 1900, in Aurora, Indiana to Warren A. Bechtel. He grew up in construction camps, living with his father as he traveled to construction projects.[2] He graduated from Oakland Technical High School[3] in 1918, and served with the 20th Engineer Brigade, part of the American Expeditionary Force sent to assist France in World War I. In 1919, after the war, he attended the University of California, Berkeley for one year and left to work for his father's company full-time.[2][4]

In 1923, Bechtel married Laura Adeline Peart, a Berkeley alumna, who would help her husband build the family-owned business into one of the world's largest engineering and construction firms.[4]

Bechtel Company

In 1925, Warren A. Bechtel, his sons Warren Jr, Stephen Sr, Kenneth (Ken), and his brother Arthur (Art) joined to incorporate as W.A. Bechtel Company. Stephen Sr. became vice-president of Bechtel in 1925. His father, Warren A. Bechtel, died suddenly while traveling to the Soviet Union in 1933. That came at a critical time for the company: concrete was being poured for the Hoover Dam, Bechtel's largest project. Stephen became president in 1935 and saw the company through the construction of the dam.[2]

Over the next 30 years, Stephen expanded Bechtel into a huge and successful engineering company with operations all over the world. He handed the presidency of the company over to his son, Stephen Jr. in 1960 but stayed on as the chairman until 1969.

Berkeley awarded Bechtel an honorary degree in Agricultural Science in 1954, and in 1980, it completed construction of the Bechtel Engineering Center, which was named in his honor. Before this the building was known as the Mechanics Building.[5]

In 1976, Bechtel received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[6]

Death and legacy

Stephen Bechtel died on March 14, 1989, at Merritt Peralta Medical Center in Oakland, California.[2] He was buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.

Stephen was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.[7]

The undergraduate engineering center of the University of California, Berkeley was named the "Bechtel Engineering Center."

The Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at the American University of Beirut (AUB) is named "The Bechtel Engineering Building" after its donor, Stephen Bechtel.

References
  1. Hydraulicians in the USA 1800-–2000
  2. "Stephen Bechtel, Head of Global Construction Firm, Dies at 88". Los Angeles Times. 1989-03-15. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-09-13 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  3. "Stephen Bechtel, Class of 1918". School Historical Archive. 21 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  4. "Laura Adeline Peart Bechtel; Helped Build Bechtel Group". Los Angeles Times. August 18, 1992.
  5. "University of California, Berkeley (UCB), Mechanics Building". PCAD. Berkeley, California. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  6. "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
  7. "TIME 100 Persons of The Century". Time. 1999-06-06. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  • Herman, Arthur. Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II, Random House, New York, NY. ISBN 978-1-4000-6964-4.
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