Some families have always gone on to achieve greatness, influencing the culture, money and power of their era. Family lines of authority like these leave a great legacy, one whose influence lasts for generations. One of these, the McBee dynasty, has a broad impact in industry, politics and philanthropy. This post will look at the dynasty that was McBee, how it started, who was involved and how it has survived for more than 100 years.

Origins of the McBee Family

The origins of the McBees run deep in American history back to the early settlers of the country. The family’s patriarch, who made the first of two substantial imprints, was James McBee. He was one of the first European settlers in the American colonies and he moved there during the mid-1700s. McBee was Irish or Scottish and were either from Ireland or Scotland. They were part of America’s rich immigrant history from the beginning.

James McBee first located in Pennsylvania but removed farther south, to Carolina. His enterprising nature helped make the family a major influence throughout the South, especially in the business and commercial districts. The McBee family first made a mark in the emergent textile industry, a field that would serve as an auspicious precursor to the future.

The McBees not only prospered in business, but also took on key roles in local politics. As the families’ power increased in terms of wealth, so did their power politically in regional affairs, in which the stage was set for later McBees to hold positions of power on both state and national levels of govemment.

Rise of the McBee Dynasty

The McBee empire truly took form in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By then, the McBee’s had become synonymous with industrial expansion, and the textile industry in the South yet the continent. As such, the family’s fortunes grew and they became prominent figures in the blossoming industry of textile mills as exemplified by the Southern antebellum economy during the Industrial Revolution.

McBees were also good at spotting opportunities in new technologies and in industrialization generally. They poured money into infrastructure and machinery that improved the efficiency of their textile business and distinguished them from competitors. This prosperity permitted the McBees to expand and diversify their holdings into banking, builder development and transportation. They soon amassed a huge fortune and the family became one of the richest and most powerful of the South.

One of the defining periods in the ascendancy of the McBee dynasty, for example, was under William McBee, who as head of the family’s industrial businesses took them to new levels in the early 20th century. During his tenure as head of the company, the McBee family diversified their interests into other states, and it began to open up mills in other states, such as Georgia and Alabama. Not only did these mills add to the family’s wealth, but they also employed thousands of workers in the South, making the McBees one of the most powerful economic families.

McBee Family’s Influence in Politics

With the McBee family’s fortune, so grew their influence in the political world. In the early 20th century, his descendants became local and soon nationwide (if often thinly disguised) political figures. These political ties enabled the McBee’s to influence policy decisions, most notably those that would advantage their businesses.

One distinguished member of the McBee family was Senator Jonathan McBee. US Senate being elected in the 1920s, Gov McBee worked to forward policies that favored the Southern textile industry, including protective tariffs on foreign-made textiles. Those policies protected American manufacturers from foreign competition and gave the McBee family’s textile mills a leg-up in the marketplace.

Besides their involvement in national politics, the McBees had quite a bit of local influence, as they leveraged their fortune to back assorted politicians and causes. The family-made fortunes, often donated to political campaigns or charitable organizations, also helped cement their position in the state and national power structures.

Expansion into Other Industries

Although the McBee family had long established roots in the cotton industry, they had a business sense that allowed them to expand into different fields as times changed. By the middle of the 20th century, the McBees had also made significant investments in banking, real estate and manufacturing.

The Bank The McBee family was involved in banking to help strengthen their domination. They became major shareholders in regional banks through strategic investments and acquisitions, giving them control over huge pools of capital. The McBees’ project capital provided them with the means to engage in vital investments in the expanding real estate markets, most significantly in the burgeoning cities of the southern United States.

In real property, the McBees were instrumental in the development of major metropolitan areas by erecting office buildings, hotels, and residential communities. These investments not only paid the family handsomely, but by shaping the physical landscape of the cities of the South, they also helped to cement the McBees as important figures in the dynamism of the South.

The McBee Legacy

During the 20th century the McBee family formed numerous charitable foundations to benefit education health and the arts. Their philanthropy financed hospitals universities and cultural institutions that had long term impacts on communities in the Southern United States.

The tradition of giving in the The McBee Dynasty family continues as several family members are still active in philanthropy  This includes the McBee Foundation which was formed in the 1960s to grant scholarships to students in financial need, give healthcare organizations grants and support local arts programs. The foundation’s efforts have positively impacted thousands of people solidifying the McBee family as not just business leaders but community leaders, as well.

Many members of the McBee family have achieved success in professions such as banking, real estate, and public service, the latter which has seen members elected to statewide and national offices.

Conclusion:

The Aetna man’s dynasty and its way is a primer on vision, open-mindedness and dedication to community. From their modest origins in pioneer days and throughout a century of development the members of the McBee family have played an influential role in shaping the business and socioeconomic face of America.

And the McBee family is a testament to how one family can change the trajectory of humanity through determination innovation and the desire to make a lasting difference. With subsequent McBees continuing the family tradition, it seems likely its impact will continue to find a place in the future of the industries and cities they helped to shape.