Gus Sessions Wortham

Gus Sessions Wortham, businessman and civic leader, son of John Lee and Fannie (Sessions) Wortham, was born in Mexia, Texas, February 18, 1891. He attended Tarleton State University and the University of Texas at Austin, and served in World War I as an aerial gunnery instructor and commander of the 800th Aerial Squadron of the United States army. Wortham's career in the insurance industry started in 1912, when he was hired by the Texas Fire Rating Board in Austin. In 1915 he and his father moved to Houston and cofounded an insurance agency, John L. Wortham and Son. Eleven years later, Wortham, along with Houston businessmen Jesse H. Jones, James A. Elkins, and John W. Link, organized American General Insurance Company (later American General Corporation). Incorporated in Texas, the company was one of the first "multi-line" insurance companies in the nation. Multi-line underwriting allowed smaller companies with fewer customers to compete with insurance companies based on the east coast, which dominated the industry at that time. Wortham served as chairman of the board and chief executive officer of American General for almost five decades. Under his leadership, the company expanded from two agents to more than 12,000, with operations in every state in the nation. American General is now a $61 billion diversified financial services company and one of the largest publicly traded companies with corporate headquarters in Houston.