Gus Wortham

Gus Sessions Wortham was born in Mexia, Texas, on 18th February, 1891. After graduating from the University of Texas he served in the First World War as an aerial gunnery instructor.

Wortham moved to Houston and with his father established an insurance agency, John L. Wortham and Son. In 1926 he joined forces with Jesse H. Jones, James A. Elkins and John W. Link to establish the American General Insurance Company. Wortham served as chairman and chief executive of the company.

Wortham was a key member of the Suite 8F Group. The name came from the room in the Lamar Hotel in Houston where they held their meetings. Members of the group included Lyndon B. Johnson, George Brown and Herman Brown (Brown & Root), James Abercrombie (Cameron Iron Works), Jesse H. Jones (multi-millionaire investor in a large number of organizations and chairman of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation), William Hobby (Governor of Texas), Richard Russell (chairman of the Committee of Manufactures, Committee on Armed Forces and Committee of Appropriations) and John Connally (Governor of Texas). Alvin Wirtz and Edward Clark, were also members of the Suite 8F Group.

He served two consecutive terms as president of the Houston Chamber of Commerce and was director of the Texas Commercial Bank, Texas Eastern Transmission Company, Longhorn Portland Cement Company and the Missouri Pacific Railroad.

Gus Sessions Wortham died in Houston on 1st September, 1976.