Anderson, Clayton & Co.

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)

Anderson, Clayton & Co. is a historical marker in Houston, Harris County, dedicated in 2004. It is one of 422 historical markers documented in Harris County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 849 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.7589, -95.3591 near Houston. The nearest cataloged historic site is Anderson, M. D. (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Sam Houston Hotel, Harris County Courthouse (1952), and Christ Church Cathedral.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5201013043. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.