Horace Rowan Gaither
Encyclopedia
Horace Rowan Gaither, Jr. (1909 – April 7, 1961) , known as H. Rowan Gaither, was a San Francisco attorney, investment banker, and a powerful administrator at the Ford Foundation
. During World War II
, he served as assistant director
of the Radiation Laboratory
at M.I.T. In 1948, he helped found the Rand Corporation and served as a trustee until 1959. From 1959 through his death, Gaither was a general partner and co-founder of Draper, Gaither & Anderson
, one of the first venture capital
firms on the west coast of the U.S., together with William H. Draper, Jr., a retired Army general and Frederick L. Anderson, a retired Air Force general.
He was hired by Henry Ford II
to help set the priorities of the Ford Foundation
in 1947, chairing the study committee that wrote the "Report of the Study for the Ford Foundation on Policy and Program." He was later president of the Ford Foundation. He is best remembered today as the author of the controversial 1957 Gaither Report
on the vulnerability of American defense. He died in 1961 of lung cancer.
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he served as assistant director
Assistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
of the Radiation Laboratory
Radiation Laboratory
The Radiation Laboratory, commonly called the Rad Lab, was located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts and functioned from October 1940 until December 31, 1945...
at M.I.T. In 1948, he helped found the Rand Corporation and served as a trustee until 1959. From 1959 through his death, Gaither was a general partner and co-founder of Draper, Gaither & Anderson
Draper, Gaither & Anderson
Draper, Gaither & Anderson was one of the first venture capital firms founded in the western United States. The firm was founded in 1959 in Palo Alto, California by pioneering venture capitalist William H. Draper, Jr. Draper was joined by Rand Corporation founder Rowan Gaither as well as...
, one of the first venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
firms on the west coast of the U.S., together with William H. Draper, Jr., a retired Army general and Frederick L. Anderson, a retired Air Force general.
He was hired by Henry Ford II
Henry Ford II
Henry Ford II , commonly known as "HF2" and "Hank the Deuce", was the son of Edsel Ford and grandson of Henry Ford...
to help set the priorities of the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
in 1947, chairing the study committee that wrote the "Report of the Study for the Ford Foundation on Policy and Program." He was later president of the Ford Foundation. He is best remembered today as the author of the controversial 1957 Gaither Report
Gaither Report
Deterrence & Survival in the Nuclear Age was the report of the Security Resources Panel of the President's Science Advisory Committee, presented to President Eisenhower on November 7, 1957. It is known as the Gaither Report after the panel's chairman Horace Rowan Gaither. The report recommended a...
on the vulnerability of American defense. He died in 1961 of lung cancer.