John Carpenter was a prominent Dallas industrialist, businessman, and civic leader. He was chief executive officer of Texas Power & Light Co., chief organizer and board chairman of Southland Life Insurance Company, founder and president of Lone Star Steel Co., on the Board of Directors of the State Fair of Texas, was instrumental in establishing Texas Tech University, and was a major contributor to the Texas agriculture and livestock industries. Carpenter worked for more than thirty years toward the full development and canalization of the Trinity River. He was president of the Trinity Improvement Association from its organization in 1928 and the principal sponsor of legislation that created the Trinity River Authority. These are the personal papers of John W. Carpenter which document his career in business, industry, and community service in Texas. They do not contain any family papers. The bulk of the collection is records of the Trinity Improvement Association and the Trinity River Authority, 1930-1980, and includes materials on the Trinity River Navigation Company, 1891-1909. Also included in the Trinity River materials are the papers of Carpenter's son, Ben H. Carpenter, who was the first president of the Trinity River Authority.
Materials provided by Special Collections and Archives at the University of Texas at Arlington.
