Charles M. Schwab
At the turn of the century, one
of Bethlehem Steel’s most influential men came to the Lehigh Valley.
This man was Charles M. Schwab. Schwab brought with him an extensive
background in the steel industry. He had risen through the ranks
of United States Steel Corporation under such phenomenal leaders as Andrew
Carnegie and "Captain" Jones. He was elected as U.S. Steel 
Corporation’s
first president, though he soon resigned in 1903 since he was not given
a free hand in running the company. (2) Feeling under-appreciated
for his work at US Steel, Schwab soon found an excellent chance to exhibit
his talent in the small Bethlehem Steel Company. Robert Hessen indicates the success
of Schwab’s management by noting that "Bethlehem Steel had been a small,
specialty producer; within a decade after Schwab took control he had made
it into the second largest and most diversified steel company in America." (163)
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