Jake L. Hamon Jr. (July 24, 1902 – 1985) was an American oilman and philanthropist.

Jake L. Hamon Jr.
Born
Jake Louis Hamon

July 24, 1902
Died1985
Alma materUniversity of Chicago
OccupationOilman
Political partyRepublican
SpouseNancy Blackburn
Children2 sons, 1 daughter
Parent(s)Jake Louis Hamon
Georgia Perkins
RelativesOlivebelle Hamon (sister)

Early life edit

Jake L. Hamon Jr. was born on July 24, 1902, in Lawton, Oklahoma.[1][2] He was named after his father; his mother was Georgia Perkins.[2] He spent his childhood in Ardmore, Oklahoma.[1]

Hamon attended the University of Chicago for two years.[3] He dropped out of college in 1920, when his father was shot to death.[2]

Career and philanthropy edit

Hamon started his career in Ranger, Texas, in 1920 and drilled his own well a year later.[1] He subsequently partnered with oilman Edwin B. Cox (Edwin L. Cox's father), and established a corporate office in Dallas, Texas, in 1932.[3] The two men worked together until 1950.[3]

Hamon served on the board of directors of the American Petroleum Institute in 1934.[2] He subsequently served as the president of the National Stripper Well Association, the Texas Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, and the Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association.[2] During World War II, he served as a member of the Petroleum Industry Council for National Defense.[2] He was inducted in the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1968.[3]

Hamon founded the Hamon Oil Company in 1984.[3]

Hamon made charitable contributions to the Dallas Museum of Art, and he served on the board of trustees of the Dallas Zoological Society and Southern Methodist University.[1] He was also on the board of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association.[1]

Personal life edit

Hamon married Nancy Blackburn on March 28, 1949.[2] They had two sons and a daughter.[2] Hamon was a personal friend of former US President George H. W. Bush.[4] Hamon and his wife visited the Bushes in China when Bush served as Envoy to China in March 1975.[4]

Hamon died in 1985 while he was on vacation in Amsterdam.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e "Jake and Nancy Hamon Papers". University of Texas Libraries. SMU. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Maxwell, Lisa C. (June 15, 2010). "HAMON, JAKE LOUIS". The Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Jake L. Hamon, Jr" (PDF). Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Bush, George W. (2014). 41: A Portrait of My Father. London: Ebury Publishing. p. 114. ISBN 9780553447781. OCLC 883645289.