Anderson, Clayton & Co.
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1904, Frank E. Anderson, his brother, Monroe D. Anderson, and his wife's brothers, William L. and Benjamin B. Clayton, formed the partnership of Anderson, Clayton & Co. in Oklahoma City. The successful cotton firm moved its headquarters in 1916 to Houston and built Long Reach, a cotton compressing-storing-shipping complex covering 32 acres on the new Houston Ship Channel, including a wharf for the simultaneous loading of eight steamships. At the time, the world's cotton-trading center was the New York Cotton Exchange; Houston and other cities had lesser exchanges. In 1924, the Houston Cotton Exchange moved into a new building at this site. Anderson, Clayton & Co. became the building's principal tenant for many years. From the eleventh floor headquarters, company officials supervised more than 24,000 employees stationed around the world. The company incorporated in 1945. By 1960, coffee had surpassed cotton in sales, and the firm continued to diversify, with interests in related foods and textiles. By the 1980s, the food division had become its principal asset, and the Quaker Oats Company acquired the business in 1986. The firm's Houston partners greatly influenced the city's development and enriched its future. The M.D. Anderson Foundation established the Texas Medical Center, the University of Texas-M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and many other projects. Ben Clayton created the Clayton Research Foundation and other philanthropies. Will Clayton became prominent as Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs and for his work on the Marshall Plan after World War II. He and his wife gave their home to Houston's Public Library. In 1996, the former Cotton Exchange Building became the Anderson Clayton Courthouse Annex. (2005)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Founded in Oklahoma City in 1904 by the Anderson brothers and their Clayton in-laws, this cotton firm moved to Houston in 1916 and built a sprawling shipping complex on the new Houston Ship Channel. From its perch in the Houston Cotton Exchange, the company grew into a global cotton trader with more than 24,000 employees before diversifying into foods and textiles and finally being absorbed by Quaker Oats in 1986. Its partners left an outsized mark: the M.D. Anderson Foundation seeded the Texas Medical Center, and Will Clayton helped shape the postwar Marshall Plan.
Why it matters
It shows how a single commodity firm helped transform Houston from a regional cotton port into a center of medicine, philanthropy, and global commerce.
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Related people
- · Monroe D. Anderson
- · Will Clayton
- · Benjamin B. Clayton
Related events
- · Opening of the Houston Ship Channel
Themes & tags
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