Development and Resources Corporation

The Development and Resources Corporation (D&R), founded and directed by David E. Lilienthal, operated from 1955 to 1979 and was based in New York City. D&R provided regional economic development services to governments throughout the world, often with a focus on the development of water resources and the construction of dams. Its main project was the development of the Khuzestan region of Iran. D&R also worked frequently in Latin America, Africa, and the United States, as well as in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Europe, and lead a project in Vietnam during the 1960s.

D&R was formed in 1955 by David E. Lilienthal, Gordon R. Clapp, and Lazard Freres, a New York investment banking firm. Lilienthal, who had previously served as a founding director of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and as the first chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), served as the first and only chairman of the organization. Clapp, Lilienthal's successor as TVA chairman, was the first president. They founded D&R as a private company that would provide regional development services, like TVA, to stimulate economic development around the globe. Other private enterprises such as D&R existed at the time but generally specialized in one or two aspects of development. D&R was different in that it approached development on the regional level, creating an integrated plan for all aspects of development. D&R also assumed responsibility for implementing the plan for its projects, serving as the primary contractor for the economic development from the surveys and plans through the construction.

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