Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
and spent his youth growing up in construction camps of his father Henry J. Kaiser. He gained experience fulfilling junior roles in the associated construction sites, but opted to study economics when he attended the
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...
. In 1930 he left in his final year without graduating, but with his father's approval. He went to work on pipeline construction. Then in 1932 he moved on to work on the Boulder Dam. Here he started as a shovel foreman before being promoted to superintendent of canyon excavation. He then moved on to Bonneville Dam construction.
In 1941 Kaiser was appointed vice-president and general manager of
Kaiser Shipyards
The Kaiser Shipyards were seven major shipbuilding yards located on the West Coast of the United States, United States west coast during World War II. Kaiser ranked 20th among U.S. corporations in the value of wartime production contracts. The ...
responsible for building ships from prefabricated parts in the context of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
as part of the Emergency Shipbuilding program. In 1947, he was appointed general manager of his father's auto manufacturer, the
Kaiser-Frazer Corporation
The Kaiser-Frazer Corporation (1947–1953 as Kaiser-Frazer) was an American automobile company. It was founded jointly by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and automobile executive Joseph W. Frazer.Award of Excellence from ''Engineering News-Record'' for his service under President Lyndon Johnson on the Committee on Urban Housing. His work on this committee to increase the availability of housing for low- and moderate-income families earned him the Medal of Freedom. he died in Oakland California on December 7 1981