Long before Henry J. Kaiser's name became associated with health care, his empire spanned North America on sturdy legs of steel, cement and aluminum. He almost single-handedly laid the foundation for the West's industrial boom, along with one of the nation's largest nonprofit health maintenance organizations.
Both ventures stemmed from his longtime motto: "Find a need and fill it."
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday October 18, 2003 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 0 inches; 38 words Type of Material: Correction
Henry J cars -- The "L.A. Then and Now" column in the Oct. 5 California section incorrectly stated that the Henry J model of Kaiser-Frazer cars had a top speed of 30 mph. It could exceed 70 mph.
Kaiser helped construct some of the nation's great bridges and dams -- Hoover, Bonneville, Shasta, Grand Coulee and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. During World War II, he built Liberty ships and airplanes and conceived the idea for Howard Hughes' fabled flying boat, the "Spruce Goose." In the postwar years, he turned to manufacturing aluminum, building houses and Kaiser-Frazer sedans.
Kaiser gained a foothold in Southern California in 1942, when he broke ground in Fontana for the West Coast's first steel mill. The mill provided steel for his wartime ship and airplane factories, as well as health care and a hospital for his employees. He empathized with his workers because he knew from his own tragic family circumstances the perils of poor health care.
Kaiser was born to German immigrants in Sprout Brook, N.Y., in 1882. His father was a cobbler, his mother a nurse. Although his family was not poor, young Kaiser quit school at 13 and began working as a store clerk and a photographer to help support his parents and three older sisters.
"I thought I was ready to lick the world single-handed, so I dropped out," he said in a 1948 interview.
In 1906, at age 24, he accepted a challenge from his future father-in-law to go West and find his fortune. He chose the Pacific Northwest, where he became a salesman for a hardware company. Two years later, with a hefty bankroll, he returned to claim his bride, Bess Fosburgh.
The couple returned to Spokane, Wash., where his job as a salesman put him in contact with contractors. Soon, he went into the construction, sand and gravel business and, in 1913, he established his own firm, the Henry J. Kaiser Co.
By 1921, Model T Fords were rolling off the assembly line and California was becoming known for its car culture. Kaiser saw an opportunity; he moved to Northern California to build more roads. His predecessors had averaged two miles a month; Kaiser paved a mile a week.
He became known as "Hurry Up Henry."
