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Name:    Laclede Gas Company
Profession:  Merchant
Category:  St. Louis and the West
Born/Started:     Mar. 02, 1857
Description:    The Laclede Gas Light Company was incorporated by a special act of the Missouri legislature on March 2,1857. It was named after Pierre Laclede, the founder of St. Louis. Its first president was a former steamboat captain, John P. Kaiser. In 1889, the Laclede Gas Light Company merged with the St. Louis Gas Light Company, the Carondelet Gas Company, and the St. Louis Gas Fuel and Power Company and kept the Laclede Gas Light Company name. However, a Philadelphia investment firm kept controlling interest. In 1912, a group of St. Louis men acquired control, and thenthe company was controlled by two Chicago firms. St. Louis citizens regained ownership in 1937. Prior to 1932, coal and carbureted water were the source of gas used by the company. Natural gas became available in 1932 when a pipeline was completed from Louisiana to St. Louis. During WWII, toluol, a coal by-product used in the production of TNT, was introduced. In 1947, Laclede Gas Light Company merged with the St. Louis County Gas Company. In 1950 the company´s name was changed to Laclede Gas. Laclede Company now serves an area in eastern Missouri, with a population of approximately 2.0 million, including the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, and parts of eight other counties. The Company also operates underground natural gas storage fields and is involved in the transportation and storage of liquid propane.[St. Louis Portrait, p. 215, http://www.lacledegas.com/about/lacledegas.htm]



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Saint Louis Portrait
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