Gus Wortham
Encyclopedia
Gus Sessions Wortham was a businessman and civic leader.
to John Lee Wortham
and Fannie Sessions. He moved with his father, John Lee Wortham
, to Houston, Texas
, and opened John L. Wortham and Son, an insurance agency. Eleven years later he founded the American General Insurance Company with Jesse H. Jones, James A. Elkins
, and John W. Link. American General was acquired by American International Group on August 29, 2001.
Wortham served two terms as president of the Houston Chamber of Commerce, and he and his wife, Lyndall Finley Wortham, created the Wortham Foundation which supports cultural activities and development of parks in the Houston area. Named in honor of the Worthams are the Wortham Center, which is home of the Houston Ballet
and the Houston Grand Opera
, Gus Wortham Park, Gus Wortham memorial fountain, Wortham IMAX
Theater at the Houston Museum of Natural Science
, Wortham World of Primates at the Houston Zoo
, Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre at the University of Houston
, and Wortham Tower in the American General Center
He died on September 1, 1976.
Biography
He was born on February 18, 1891 in Mexia, TexasMexia, Texas
Mexia is a city in Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,552 at the 2008 census.The city's motto, based on the fact that outsiders tend to mispronounce the name , is "A great place, no matter how you pronounce it."...
to John Lee Wortham
John Lee Wortham
John Lee Wortham, was on the Railroad Commission of Texas in 1911 and Secretary of State of the State of Texas in 1913....
and Fannie Sessions. He moved with his father, John Lee Wortham
John Lee Wortham
John Lee Wortham, was on the Railroad Commission of Texas in 1911 and Secretary of State of the State of Texas in 1913....
, to Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, and opened John L. Wortham and Son, an insurance agency. Eleven years later he founded the American General Insurance Company with Jesse H. Jones, James A. Elkins
James A. Elkins
James Anderson Elkins Sr. was a Houston, Texas lawyer. He co-founded the law firm, Vinson and Elkins.Born in Huntsville, Texas, his father was a former Walker County sheriff, but died when Elkins was just a boy. He was reared by his mother and attended public schools. He later attended the...
, and John W. Link. American General was acquired by American International Group on August 29, 2001.
Wortham served two terms as president of the Houston Chamber of Commerce, and he and his wife, Lyndall Finley Wortham, created the Wortham Foundation which supports cultural activities and development of parks in the Houston area. Named in honor of the Worthams are the Wortham Center, which is home of the Houston Ballet
Houston Ballet
The Houston Ballet, operated by the Houston Ballet Foundation, is the fourth-largest professional ballet company in the United States, based in Houston, Texas. The foundation also maintains a ballet academy, the Ben Stevenson Academy, which trains more than half of the company's dancers...
and the Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera was founded in 1955 through the joint efforts of Maestro Walter Herbert and cultural leaders Mrs. Louis G. Lobit, Edward Bing and Charles Cockrell...
, Gus Wortham Park, Gus Wortham memorial fountain, Wortham IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
Theater at the Houston Museum of Natural Science
Houston Museum of Natural Science
The Houston Museum of Natural Science is a science museum located on the northern border of Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, USA. The museum was established in 1909 by the Houston Museum and Scientific Society, an organization whose goals were to provide a free institution for the people of Houston...
, Wortham World of Primates at the Houston Zoo
Houston Zoo
The Houston Zoo is a zoological park located within Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, United States. Housing over 6,000 animals belonging to over 900 species, the zoo receives 1.6 million visitors each year and is the seventh most visited zoo in the nation...
, Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre at the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, and Wortham Tower in the American General Center
He died on September 1, 1976.