THE HISTORY OF THE ECUADORIAN CORPORATION AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF ECUADOR: 1897-1986

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present the history of the Ecuadorian Corporation and its contribution to the economic development of Ecuador, 1897-1986. While much has been written about the construction of the Guayaquil and Quito railroad, relatively little has been written about the connection of the railroad to the Ecuadorian Corporation. In the first part of this article emphasis will be placed on the role of Archer Harman in organizing the railroad construction companies and the railroad’s subsidiary companies between 1897 and 1910. In the second part emphasis will be placed on the role of Evermont Hope Norton in the organization of the Ecuadorian Corporation as a holding company for the subsidiary companies of the railroad. The third and final part of the paper will focus on the role of Norton’s grandson Hope Norton Stevens in the management and liquidation of the company from 1861 to 1986. The research for this article is based on a bibliographical review of the primary and secondary sources on the Ecuadorian Corporation and the Guayaquil and Quito Railroad.