Stephen Davison Bechtel Jr. (May 10, 1925 – March 15, 2021) was an American billionaire businessman, civil engineer, and co-owner of the Bechtel Corporation. He was the son of Stephen Davison Bechtel Sr. and grandson of Warren A. Bechtel, who founded the Bechtel Corporation. He was known for expanding the global footprint of the corporation through several of its international projects. Some of the projects executed under his leadership of the company included King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh as well as Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia as well as oil platforms in the North Sea, liquefied natural gas plants in Algeria, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.

Bechtel also served on the board of General Motors and International Business Machines. He had a bachelor's degree from the Purdue University and a master's degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

At the time of his death, he had a net worth of nearly US$3 billion according to Forbes.

Early life and education

Bechtel was born in Oakland, California, on May 10, 1925. He was the son of Laura A. Peart and Stephen Bechtel Sr., and the grandson of Warren A. Bechtel, the founder of American construction and civil engineering firm Bechtel Corporation. During his time in high school, he enlisted in Marine Corps Reserve, and went to University of Colorado to study engineering. He earned his Master of Business Administration degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1948.

The company's role in Boston's infrastructure projects, titled Big Dig, in the 1990s came into scrutiny, with the company having to pay to settle litigation over a ceiling collapse and leaky tunnels. Richard Nixon named him to membership on the National Industrial Pollution Control Council, the National Commission on Productivity, the Labor Management Advisory Committee, and the National Commission for Industrial Peace. Gerald Ford asked Bechtel to serve on the President's Labor-Management Committee.

Boy Scouts

Bechtel became an Eagle Scout in 1940 and has been recognized by the Boy Scouts of America with both the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award and the Silver Buffalo Award. Stephen's uncle Kenneth K. Bechtel was awarded the Silver Buffalo in 1950 and served as national president of the Boy Scouts of America from 1956 to 1959.

The BSA acquired new property near Beckley, West Virginia, for a new high adventure base in 2009. Bechtel donated $50 million towards the new base, which has been named The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve.

Philanthropy

Bechtel was a contributor to many environmental causes. He created a foundation in 1957 to support these cases. The foundation contributed $50 million to create a National Scout Reserve in southern West Virginia, which is now the home of the national boy scout jamboree. Stephen and Betty's largess also extended to Berkeley's International House, Mills College, Achievement Rewards for College Scientists, the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Ballet, the Head Royce School, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Royal Horticultural Society, the American Friends of the Royal Academy Trust, the Nature Conservancy, the Royal Oak Foundation, the Huntington Library, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Awards and honors

Bechtel was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1990. He is the 1980 recipient of the Hoover Medal, which commemorates the civic and humanitarian achievements of engineers. In 1990, he was elevated to National Honor Member by Chi Epsilon, the national civil engineering honor society. In 1998, he and his son Riley were presented with the Honor Award from the National Building Museum for their company's contributions to the built environment. Bechtel received the Award of Excellence from Engineering News-Record for his leadership of Bechtel Corporation.

He received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 1991, from the then US President, George H. W. Bush. He was a nature enthusiast and hiker who had once made the trek to the Everest base camp and had also hiked the John Muir Trail over a 211-mile course.

Books

See also

  • List of billionaires

References

  • National Academy of Engineering: 1999 Founders Award Recipient
  • 2005 Silver Buffalo Awards
  • Fact Sheet: Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
  • "Stephen Bechtel Jr.", Bechtel Corporation