Howard C. Hopson, Date of Birth, Date of Death

Howard C. Hopson

American businessman

Date of Birth: 08-May-1882

Date of Death: 22-Dec-1949

Profession: businessperson

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Howard Colwell Hopson (May 8, 1882 – December 22, 1949) was an American businessman who was convicted of defrauding Americans of more than $20 million (roughly 300 million dollars in 2018).
Hopson built his company, Associated Gas and Electric (AG&E) into one of the largest electricity providing companies of the era.
At its peak, AG&E was the country's third largest provider of electricity, and the fifth largest holding company. Born in 1882, Hopson went to the University of Wisconsin and George Washington University.
After being hired by both the Interstate Commerce Commission and New York Public Service Commission, he struck out on his own and opened a consulting company.
In the late 1910s, Hopson purchased a controlling interest in Associated Gas and Electric, and would grow it into multi international company serving 2 million people.
In the late 1930s, Hopson was discovered to have stolen $20 million from the company and sentenced to years in prison.
He was released in 1943, and died in 1949. Hopson quickly became a figurehead of robber barons and corruption, and his example led directly to the passing of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, Securities Act of 1933, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.