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{{Short description|American businessman (1925–2021)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Stephen Bechtel, Jr. at the 2010 California STEM Summit.jpg
| image_size =
| name = Stephen Bechtel Jr.
| caption = Bechtel in 2010
| birth_name = Stephen Davison Bechtel Jr.
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1925|5|10}}
| birth_place = [[Oakland, California]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2021|3|15|1925|5|10}}
| death_place = [[San Francisco]], California, U.S.
| education = [[Purdue University]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])<br />[[Stanford Graduate School of Business|Stanford University]] ([[M. B. A.|MBA]])
| occupation = Businessman
| known for =
| spouse = Elizabeth Mead Hogan
| parents = [[Stephen Bechtel Sr.]]
| children = 5, including [[Riley Bechtel|Riley]]
| relatives = [[Warren A. Bechtel]] (grandfather)
| website =
}}

'''Stephen Davison Bechtel Jr.''' (May 10, 1925 – March 15, 2021) was an American [[billionaire]] businessman, civil engineer, and co-owner of the [[Bechtel|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 Machine]]s. 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 [[United States dollar|US$]]3 billion according to ''Forbes''.<ref name=Forbes>{{cite web|title=Forbes profile: Stephen Bechtel Jr. |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/stephen-bechtel-jr/ |website=Forbes |access-date=21 March 2021}}</ref>

== 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]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Pollack|first1=Andrew|date=March 15, 1989|title=Stephen D. Bechtel Is Dead at 88; Led Major Construction Concern (Published 1989)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/15/obituaries/stephen-d-bechtel-is-dead-at-88-led-major-construction-concern.html|access-date=March 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Stephen D. Bechtel, Sr. – Family Leadership – Bechtel|url=https://www.bechtel.com/about-us/stephen-d-bechtel-sr/|access-date=March 16, 2021|website=Bechtel Corporate|language=en}}</ref> During his time in high school, he enlisted in [[Marine Corps Reserve]], and went to [[University of Colorado]] to study engineering.<ref name=":0" /> In 1946, he graduated from [[Purdue University]] with a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in civil engineering, where he was a member of [[Beta Theta Pi]], and married Elizabeth "Betty" Mead Hogan, a [[University of California, Berkeley|Berkeley]] alumna.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="nyt">{{Cite web|title=The Beta Theta Pi Magazine (Fall 2009)|url=https://issuu.com/betathetapiao/docs/fall2009/31|access-date=March 16, 2021|website=Issuu|date=November 17, 2009 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Stephen Bechtel Jr., 95, Dies; Led Family's Giant Engineering Firm|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/15/us/stephen-bechtel-jr-dead.html|date=March 16, 2021|website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> He earned his [[Master of Business Administration]] degree from the [[Stanford Graduate School of Business]] in 1948.<ref name=":0" />

==Career==
Bechtel joined the family business in 1948. While he initially wanted to enter into home building, he was convinced by his father by showcasing Bechtel Corporation's global projects in a three-week trip.<ref name=":0" /> He succeeded his father, Stephen Bechtel Sr., as president of Bechtel Corporation in 1960 and chairman in 1969.<ref name=":0" /> His career with the company spanned 30 years until his retirement in 1990. During his time, the company which was earlier known for its work on the [[Hoover Dam]] and the [[Bay Area Rapid Transit]], expanded its global footprint by working on the [[Channel Tunnel]] between France and the United Kingdom, [[King Khalid International Airport]] in [[Riyadh]] as well as [[Jubail Industrial City]] in Saudi Arabia. The last is considered one of the largest civil engineering projects of the time.<ref name=":0" /> The company was involved in the build out of oil platforms in the [[North Sea]], [[liquefied natural gas]] plants in Algeria, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates, and also in the cleanup of the nuclear reactor site [[Three Mile Island accident|Three Mile Island]] in Pennsylvania.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Hagerty|first=James R.|date=March 16, 2021|title=Stephen Bechtel, Head of Family Construction Firm for Three Decades, Dies at Age 95|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/stephen-bechtel-head-of-family-construction-firm-for-three-decades-dies-at-age-95-11615870471|access-date=March 17, 2021|issn=0099-9660}}</ref>

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.<ref name=":0" /> Earlier, the company had been charged by the [[US Justice Department]] in 1976 of illegally complying with the [[Arab League boycott of Israel]], and had also faced criticism for undertaking projects in [[Saddam Hussein]]'s Iraq of the 1980s.<ref name=":1" /> During his leadership, the [[1980s oil glut]] and the resulting plunge in oil prices resulted in reduced spend by the middle-eastern countries on infrastructure projects including petroleum pipelines, resulting in a significant impact to the company's business. In addition to retrenchments of about half of its 44,000 member large workforce, the company under Bechtel's leadership undertook [[financial engineering]] actions including taking part ownership in some of the infrastructure projects.<ref name=":1" />

During his time the company, over three decades, the company's revenues grew eleven-fold, and the company also pivoted from majority ownership residing within the family to a model that had majority ownership by managers outside of the family.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> He held 20 percent of the company shares and his net worth in 2021 was estimated by ''[[Forbes]]'' to be $2.9 billion.<ref name=":0" /> After his retirement from Bechtel Corporation, he headed the real estate company [[Fremont Group]], which was also an early investor in [[Starbucks Corp]]oration.<ref name=":0" /> He had also served as director on the board of [[General Motors]] and [[International Business Machine]]s.<ref name=":1" />

===Political appointments===
[[Lyndon B. Johnson]] appointed Bechtel to the President's Committee on Urban Housing.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Report of the President's Committee on Affordable Housing|url=https://economics.princeton.edu/published-papers/efficiency-in-the-construction-industry/}}</ref> [[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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Stephen Bechtel Jr.|url=http://philanthropies.org/stephen-bechtel-jr/|access-date=March 16, 2021|website=Philanthropies|date=May 21, 2016 |language=en}}</ref> [[Gerald Ford]] asked Bechtel to serve on the President's Labor-Management Committee.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ford Library Museum - Labor Management Committee|url=https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0248/whpr19750110-008.pdf|website=Ford Library Museum}}</ref>

=== Boy Scouts ===
Bechtel became an [[Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)|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.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100522081137/http://www.wvmetronews.com/index.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=33669 Welcome, Boy Scouts, MetroNews, Glen Jean, Fayette County ]</ref>

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]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scoutingnews.org/2009/08/26/bechtel-family-national-scouting-center/ |title=Bechtel Family National Scouting Center |date=August 29, 2009 |work=Scouting News |access-date=September 8, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923101419/http://www.scoutingnews.org/2009/08/26/bechtel-family-national-scouting-center/ |archive-date=September 23, 2009 }}</ref>

=== 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.<ref name=":0" /> The foundation contributed $25 million to renovate the [[Presidio of San Francisco]].<ref name=":0" /> The S. D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation and the Stephen Bechtel Fund support many non-profit groups, especially in the San Francisco Bay area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sdbjrfoundation.org/|title=S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/lists/list-directory/|title=Forbes List Directory|website=Forbes}}</ref> Stephen and Betty's largess also extended to [[University of California, Berkeley|Berkeley]]'s [[International House Berkeley|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.<ref name=AAAS>{{cite web|title=Book of Members, 1780-2010: Chapter B|url=http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterB.pdf|publisher=American Academy of Arts and Sciences|access-date=May 29, 2011}}</ref> He is the 1980 recipient of the [[Hoover Medal]], which commemorates the civic and humanitarian achievements of engineers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.asme.org/about-asme/honors-awards/joint-awards/hoover-awards|title=Hoover Medal|website=www.asme.org}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbm.org/about/awards/|title=Awards for exemplary achievements in the built environment|date=December 16, 2016 }}</ref> Bechtel received the [[Engineering News-Record#ENR Award of Excellence|Award of Excellence]] from ''Engineering News-Record'' for his leadership of Bechtel Corporation.<ref>{{Citation| last=Lewis| first=Scott| date=April 20, 2015| title=ENR Marks 50 Years of Excellence| magazine =[[Engineering News-Record]]| volume =274| issue =11| publisher =Dodge Data & Analytics| place=New York| pages =42–56 | issn =0891-9526| ref =ENR50}}</ref>

He received the [[National Medal of Technology and Innovation]] in 1991, from the then US President, [[George H. W. Bush]].<ref name=":0" />

== Personal life ==
Bechtel and his wife, Betty, had two sons and three daughters. One son, [[Riley Bechtel]], succeeded him as the chairman and chief executive of the [[Bechtel Corporation]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sdbjrfoundation.org/the-foundation/board/elizabeth-h-bechtel/|title=S. D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation Board: Elizabeth H. Bechtel|website=sdbjrfoundation.org}}</ref> He was a nature enthusiast and hiker who had once made the trek to the [[Everest base camps|Everest base camp]] and had also hiked the [[John Muir Trail]] over a 211-mile course.<ref name=":0" />

Bechtel died on March 15, 2021, at his home in [[San Francisco]], California. He was aged 95.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Hershey|first=Robert D. Jr.|date=March 16, 2021|title=Stephen Bechtel Jr., 95, Dies; Led Family's Giant Engineering Firm|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/15/us/stephen-bechtel-jr-dead.html|access-date=March 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Clabaugh|first=Jeff|date=2021-03-16|title=Former Bechtel CEO and chairman Stephen Bechtel Jr. dies at 95|url=https://wtop.com/business-finance/2021/03/former-bechtel-ceo-and-chairman-stephen-bechtel-jr-dies-at-95/|access-date=2021-03-17|website=WTOP|language=en}}</ref>

== Books ==

* {{Cite book|first=Laton|last=McCartney|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/19642636|title=Friends in high places: the Bechtel story: the most secret corporation and how it engineered the world|date=1989|publisher=Ballantine Books|isbn=0-345-36044-3|oclc=19642636}}

==See also==
*[[List of billionaires]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930043440/http://www.nae.edu/nae/awardscom.nsf/weblinks/NAEW-4NHM9S?OpenDocument National Academy of Engineering: 1999 Founders Award Recipient]
*[http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0509/a-hnor.html#sbarb 2005 Silver Buffalo Awards]
*[http://www.bsa14.org/FactSheetSupport/02-529.html Fact Sheet: Distinguished Eagle Scout Award]
*[https://www.bechtel.com/about-us/stephen-d-bechtel-jr/ "Stephen Bechtel Jr.", ''Bechtel Corporation'']

{{Engineering News-Record Award of Excellence}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bechtel, Stephen Jr.}}
[[Category:1925 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:American billionaires]]
[[Category:American chief executives]]
[[Category:Bechtel people]]
[[Category:California Institute of Technology trustees]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences]]
[[Category:National Medal of Technology recipients]]
[[Category:Purdue University College of Engineering alumni]]
[[Category:Stanford Graduate School of Business alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:21st-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:20th-century American philanthropists]]
[[Category:21st-century American philanthropists]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Oakland, California]]
[[Category:Philanthropists from California]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps reservists]]
[[Category:Hikers]]
[[Category:Bechtel family|Stephen Jr.]]

Stephen Bechtel Jr. - Revision history

imported>Ken Gallager: cat sort