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Builders: Herman and George R. Brown Book Research Files

 Collection
Identifier: MS 464
Finding aid note: Stored onsite at the Woodson Research Center.

Scope and Contents

Correspondence, oral histories, notes, newsclippings, reports, published materials, photographs and ephemera in this collection document the family and business lives of Houston entrepreneurs Herman and George R. Brown, providing the basis for author Christopher Castaneda and Joseph Pratt's book, Builders : Herman and George R. Brown. Subjects include Texas roadbuilding, shipbuilding, dam building, coal transportation and pipelines, construction labor issues, politics, philanthropy and the Brown family's development of Houston medical, art, and educational institutions (including Rice University), and Brown family matters. Of particular value are the oral history interviews of important Texas businessmen and women, lawyers, and politicians regarding the Brown brothers and their legacy, as well as original correspondence, particularly with Lyndon Baines Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson. One set of chapter drafts for the Builders book is located in Series I. Dates range from 1898-1996.

Dates

  • 1898 - 1989

Creator

Access Restrictions

This material is open for research.

Conditions Governing Access

Stored onsite at the Woodson Research Center.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Builders: Herman and George R. Brown Book Project Files, must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

Permission to publish from Series VII : Minot Tully Pratt papers must be obtained from the Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin, where the originals of this materials reside.

Organizational History

This collection of material was gathered as the body of research supporting the publication of the book, Builders: Herman and George R. Brown, by Joseph A. Pratt and Christopher J. Castaneda, published 1999 by Texas A & M Press. Herman and George R. Brown were very successful Houston philanthropists and entrepreneurs in the fields of oil and gas, and building and construction, during the 1950-1980s. The Brown family has also been a significant and generous donor to Rice University. Christopher Castaneda received his bachelor's degree from Rice, and his masters and doctorate degrees from the University of Houston. He teaches history at California State University, Sacramento, and has authored several other books related to oil and gas.

Extent

19.5 Linear Feet (39 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Overview

Correspondence, oral histories, notes, newsclippings, reports, published materials, photographs and ephemera in this collection document the family and business lives of Houston entrepreneurs Herman and George R. Brown, providing the basis for author Christopher Castaneda and Joseph Pratt's book, Builders : Herman and George R. Brown

Acquisition Information

This material was collected by authors by Joseph A. Pratt and Christopher J. Castaneda in cooperation with Isabel Brown Wilson, daughter of George R. Brown, and given to the Woodson Research Center by Ms. Wilson on behalf of the Brown Foundation, 1998.

George R. Brown served a Trustee for Rice University and the Brown family has been a generous donor to the university, with many buildings named for family members.

Related Materials

Brown & Root archives, MS466, Woodson Research Center

Processing Information

Inventory prepared August 1999 by Lee Pecht, and updated by Mandy York, 2002.

Series VII Minot Tully Pratt papers, are comprised of photocopies made from the originals, located at the University of Texas at Austin's Center for American History.

MS464 also includes materials originally accessioned as MS480.

Subjects

Record Groups

Related Names

Creator

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Builders: Herman & George R. Brown Book Research Files, 1898-1989
Status
Completed
Author
Amanda Focke
Date
2003
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Woodson Research Center, Rice University, Houston, Texas Repository

http://woodson.rice.edu/woodson
Contact:
Fondren Library MS-44, Rice University
6100 Main St.
Houston Texas 77005 USA

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© 2020 Woodson Research Center
Fondren Library, Rice University
Physical Address: 6100 Main, Houston, Texas 77005-1827
Mailing Address: MS-44, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892