Herman and George R. Brown, formidable figures in the 
construction industry and Texas politics, made a unique business 
team. Practical and decisive Herman and university-trained, 
soft-spoken George, a natural salesperson, combined their 
individual strengths, strong work ethic, and ambition to develop 
Brown & Root, one of America’s preeminent construction 
companies.

    Builders serves both as a history of their lives and as an 
examination of business life in mid-twentieth-century America. In 
addition to examining the brothers’ business accomplishments, the 
authors address the Browns’ philanthropic work, political influence,
antiunionism, and longtime relationship with Lyndon Baines
Johnson.

". . . illuminates the history of business and urban development in 
twentieth century Houston and central Texas as much as it does the 
lives of Herman and George Brown."—Journal of American 
History

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JOSEPH A. PRATT is Cullen Professor of History and Business at 
the University of Houston in Houston, Texas. CHRISTOPHER J. 
CASTANEDA is associate professor of history and director of the 
Oral History Program at California State University, Sacramento.