Trefethen, Eugene E. (Eugene Edgar), 1909-

  1. Trefethen, Eugene E. (Eugene Edgar), 1909-
  2. Version History

Biographical Chronology

1909 Eugene E. Trefethen, Jr. born on July 27 in Oakland, California, the son of E. E. and Georgia Carroll Trefethen. Met Edgar F. Kaiser when they were junior high school classmates. Attended University High School in Oakland from 1922 to 1926. 1926 Began working for Henry J. Kaiser as a sand and gravel plant laborer at Livermore, California, during school vacations. 1930 Graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with an A.B. degree in Political Science. 1931 Studied for a year at Harvard Business School. Served as manager of a natural gas pipeline construction project in Montana. 1932 1934 Became executive assistant to Henry J. Kaiser and worked with him on the Hoover (Boulder) Dam and other construction projects. 1934 Appointed Vice President and Director of the Industrial Company, organized to dispose of equipment that Kaiser had acquired for building the foundations of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Named General Sales Manager of the Sand and Gravel Division of Kaiser Paving Company. 1936 Elected Secretary of the Henry J. Kaiser Company, which joint-ventured the construction of the Bonneville and Grand Coulee Dams on the Columbia River. 1937 Married Catherine Morgan on May 7. 1939 Elected a Director of the Permanente Corporation (later Kaiser Cement and Gypsum Corporation). His daughter, Carla Jean, born on May 10. 1941 1945 As Vice President of the Henry J. Kaiser Company, he directed the wartime manufacturing of steel, magnesium, and strategic metals. 1943 His son, John Vance, born on July 15. 1946 1948 Appointed Vice President of various Kaiser companies, supervising the production of aircraft, aluminum, steel, cement, gypsum, and projects undertaken by Kaiser Engineers. 1956 After reorganization of the Kaiser enterprises and the creation of Kaiser Industries Corporation as the parent company, he became Executive Vice President of Kaiser Industries Corporation. 1960 Involved in every aspect of management, including the direction of Kaiser construction projects in Ghana, Australia, and Canada, as well as assisting with Henry J. Kaiser's resort and housing developments in Honolulu. 1967 After the death of Henry J. Kaiser, Trefethen was elected President of Kaiser Industries Corporation. 1968 Purchased the 19th century Eshcole estate and 320 adjoining acres in the Napa Valley. 1968 Received an outstanding achievement in business management award from the University of Southern California, School of Business Administration. 1973 First Trefethen Vineyards wine produced. 1974 Retired on July 31 as President of Kaiser Industries Corporation. 1976 Named honorary alumnus of the College of Engineering, University of California, Berkeley. 1978 1979 Served as a Trustee for the voluntary liquidation of Kaiser Industries Corporation. 1979 Presented with Alumnus of the Year Award by the University of California Alumni Association. 1981 Given Jefferson Award for high ideals and achievement in public service. 1985 Received United Way Alexis de Tocqueville Society Community Philanthropy Award. 1988 Named winner of the National Philanthropy Day Award for Outstanding Volunteer Fund Raiser. 1989 Granted the Berkeley Medal by the University of California, Berkeley.

From the guide to the Eugene E. Trefethen, Jr. Papers, ca. 1930-1980, (The Bancroft Library)
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