Brown and Root: History by Dan Dyess

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.