Robert Hugh Daniel (September 1, 1906 - October 27, 1983) was the

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

and

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of Daniel International Corporation which he founded, along with his brother, in 1934. Daniel International, headquartered in Greenville,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, and

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, grew to become one of the largest construction and engineering firms in the world. In 1977 Daniel International was acquired by

Fluor Corporation Fluor Corporation is an American engineering and construction firm, headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is a holding company that provides services through its subsidiaries in three main areas: oil and gas, industrial and infrastructure, government ...

. He was also the founder of the Daniel Foundation of Alabama, which is one of the largest charitable foundations in Alabama. Daniel and his wife lived in Mountain Brook,

. Hugh died on October 27, 1983, in Birmingham.

Personal life

R. Hugh Daniel attended

The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina The Citadel Military College of South Carolina (simply known as The Citadel) is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Established in 1842, it is the third oldest of the six senior military colleges ...

in Charleston in the class of 1929, there he played on the varsity football and basketball team and was also the editor of the college newspaper,

The Bulldog The Bulldog is an Amsterdam-based company that owns and operates a chain of cannabis coffee shops, hotels, cafés and brand stores located in Amsterdam and Canada. The Bulldog has its own merchandising brand consisting of clothing, souvenirs ...

. After college, he was a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy. After his duties were finished in the Navy, he then became very successful in the construction business in Alabama and was also widely recognized for his philanthropic endeavors. He died on October 27, 1983. During his life Daniel was involved in the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham, The Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, the Canterbury Methodist Church, he was a member of the Birmingham Country Club, The Mountain Brook Club, the Relay House, and the

Chi Psi Chi Psi () is a fraternities and sororities, fraternity consisting of active chapters at 34 American colleges and universities. Chi Psi was founded in 1841 at Union College in Schenectady, New York. It was the first Greek-letter organization to b ...

fraternity. In 1954, Daniel cofounded the pro-segregation American States' Rights Association.

Business

R. Hugh Daniel and his brother Charles founded the Daniel Corporation in 1934.Alabama Academy of Honor: R. Hugh Daniel
/ref> The company, as founded by Daniel and now as part of Fluor, specializes in large scale construction, real estate, and industrial contracting. The business grew to over 40,000 employees and produced over $950 million in revenue in 1975, two years before it was acquired by the Fluor Corporation in 1977. The corporation was known as Fluor Daniel until 2002, when “Daniel” was dropped from the name. Daniel was also the chairman of the board of directors for the Central Bank of Birmingham, now

BBVA Compass BBVA USA was a bank headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. It was a subsidiary of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from 2007 until 2021, when it was acquired by PNC Financial Services. It operated mainly in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, ...

. and served on the board of the bank's parent corporation Central Banchares, Inc., served as a director for the Birmingham Museum of Art and the Baptist Hospitals Foundation, as well as several companies.

Philanthropy

The Daniel Foundation, based in

, was established by R. Hugh and Charles E. Daniel in 1954 and is an endowment overseen by the Citadel Board of Visitors. It has allocated grant scholarships, athletics, discretionary funds, and supports the Citadel. It has also contributed generous donations to the music department of UAB to honor the late Martha Stone Cobb Daniel, widow of Mr. Daniel.The Daniel Foundation Makes Lead Gift
The Daniel Library located at the Citadel was dedicated to the Daniel brothers in 1960 for their various contributions to the institution. The brothers also erected a carillion, completed in 1984 shortly after Daniel's death in honor of Thomas Dry Howie, a classmate at the Citadel. R. Hugh Daniel also donated the Daniel building in Greenville to the Citadel. In 1980, the 25 story structure was the largest gift any college in the nation had ever received at the time. In 2010, the Daniel Foundation provided $1.5 million for a major renovation of Daniel Library, with a new entry, group study spaces, and technology.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daniel, Robert Hugh 1906 births 1983 deaths Businesspeople from Birmingham, Alabama American chief executives of energy companies American segregationists The Citadel Bulldogs basketball players The Citadel Bulldogs football players United States Navy officers People from Mountain Brook, Alabama 20th-century American businesspeople American men's basketball players 20th-century American philanthropists Neo-Confederates