Henry J. Kaiser

Henry John Kaiser (May 9, 1882 – August 24, 1967) was an American industrialist who became known for his shipbuilding and construction projects, then later for his involvement in fostering modern American health care. Prior to World War II, Kaiser was involved in the construction industry; his company was one of those that built the Hoover Dam. He established the Kaiser Shipyards, which built Liberty ships during World War II, after which he formed Kaiser Aluminum and Kaiser Steel. Kaiser organized Kaiser Permanente health care for his workers and their families. He led Kaiser-Frazer followed by Kaiser Motors, automobile companies known for the safety of their designs. Kaiser was involved in large construction projects such as civic centers and dams, and invested in real estate, later moving into television broadcasting with Kaiser Broadcasting.

Early life, family and education

Kaiser was born on May 9, 1882, in Sprout Brook, New York, the youngest of four children and the only son of Franz (a shoemaker) and Anna Marie (née Yops) Kaiser, ethnic German immigrants. His father, who later anglicized his name to Frank, came from Hanau in Hesse and emigrated to the United States in 1872, at about the age of thirty. He settled in Canajoharie, in upstate New York, where he was taken in by the Yops family—fellow emigrants from Steinheim who farmed in the area—and there met their daughter Anna Marie, later known as Mary. The couple married on January 5, 1873, and settled a few miles away in Sprout Brook, where Frank kept a cobbler's shop; they had three daughters—Elizabeth, Anna, and Augusta—before Henry's birth.