Bechtel Corporation
Germany → USA
Manufacturing, Industry & Materials
Summary
Bechtel was founded in 1898 in Oklahoma by Warren A. Bechtel, born in 1872 in Freeport, Illinois, to Elizabeth and John Bechtel, German immigrants from the Palatinate who had emigrated in the mid-19th century. Warren began as a teamster grading railway lines and built that work into one of the largest construction firms in American history. Bechtel led the building of the Hoover Dam (1931–1936), worked on the Pacific Naval Yards, and built the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. The company remains privately held by the fifth generation of the Bechtel family.
European Contribution
German Palatinate engineering and construction traditions transmitted through three generations of immigrant family practice.
American Impact
Built much of the American twentieth-century engineering and construction infrastructure, including Hoover Dam and BART.
Timeline Highlights
- Mid-19th c. Bechtel parents emigrate from the Palatinate
- 1872 Warren A. Bechtel born in Illinois
- 1898 W. A. Bechtel Co. founded
- 1931–1936 Builds the Hoover Dam
- Present Fifth-generation family ownership