Anderson, M. D.
1310 Prairie at Caroline
Houston , 77002
Notes: Marker is in the lobby of the New Cotton Exchange Building/Harris County Courthouse Annex No. 44; Anderson, Clayton & Co. marker also at this location
Directions: Marker inside lobby of the New Cotton Exchange Building/Harris County Courthouse Annex No. 44, between 1st & 2nd elevator doors (facing), wall mounted
Key Time Period: 1893 - 1919 City Beautiful - WW I
Corretions/New Research:
Marker Text: Tennessee native Monroe Dunaway (M. D.) Anderson (1873-1939) joined his brother Frank and William L. and Ben Clayton in an Oklahoma cotton merchandising business in 1904. Anderson served as chief financial officer for the business, known as Anderson, Clayton & Company. In 1907 he moved to Houston and opened a branch office for the company in Houston's original Cotton Exchange building at the corner of Travis and Franklin streets.
Anderson, Clayton & Company moved its main offices to Houston in 1916 and in 1923 moved here to the Houston Cotton Exchange building. They prospered and became the leading merchants in the global cotton market.
Anderson never married and lived frugally in downtown hotels. In 1936 he established a charitable foundation with the fortune he made in the cotton business. Upon his death in 1939, $20 million of his estate was willed to the M. D. Anderson Foundation.
The Texas Legislature authorized the creation of a cancer research hospital in 1941. Upon learning this, trustees of the M. D. Anderson Foundation successfully bid for the institution and helped finance it. The M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and the Texas Medical Center which the M. D. Anderson Foundation created have become world renowned institutions. (1994)
Marker Type: Marker wall mount
Historical Org: Texas Historical Commission (THC)
Key Map Information: 493 M
GPS Coordinates: 29 45.545, 95 21.556
Precinct No: 1
Marker No: 10595