Principal, Warren A. Bechtel, Building Contractor, c. 1898-1925; Founding Partner, W.A. Bechtel Company, 1925-1933; thereafter known as Bechtel, Incorporated, and then Bechtel Corporation.

Warren A. Bechtel founded the Bechtel Corporation in 1898, what became the biggest construction and engineering company in the world. Following an unsuccessful stint as a farmer in OK, Bechtel became associated with the railroads, first an an engineer. In 1898, Bechtel worked in KS and OK with a mule team, soliciting railroad grading work. for the next 16 years, he undertook a variety of railroad construction projects in the States of IA, MN, WY, OR, NV and CA. He obtained his first independent railroad from the Western Pacific Railroad in 1906, and constructed the Klamath Highway for the State of CA by 1919. Bechtel has, since its founding, been a family business, with Warren working with his brothers and sons. The State of CA, awarded Bechtel a sizable share of the contract to erect the Bowman Dam, Canyon Creek in Nevada County, CA, in 1926-1927. Stephen Bechtel, Sr., succeeded his father as Bechtel, Incorporated's CEO in 1933, following his father's death in Moscow. Stephen Bechtel, Jr., took over for his father as head of the family business. In 1998, another relative, Riley P. Bechtel (born 1952), great-grandson of Warren and son of Stephen, Jr., served in that capacity.

Sons: Warren, Jr., Stephen, and Kenneth;

Bechtel was buried at the Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, CA, in the Main Mausoleum, ground floor; Biography Index. A cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines. Volume 2: August, 1949-August, 1952. New York: H.W. Wilson Co.,1953. (Bio In 2) Biography Index. A cumulative index to biographical material in books andmagazines. Volume 15: September, 1986-August, 1988. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1988. (Bio In 15) The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Volume 24. New York: James T. White & Co., 1935. Reprint. Volumes 1-50. Ann Arbor, Mich.:University Microfilms, 1967-1971. Use the Index to locate biographies.(Nat CAB 24)

• Moscow, Russia Soviet Union (Architect's Death)
  Moscow, Russia Soviet Union

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