Oil Barons

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 1 
Mukesh Ambani
(Indian businessman)
Mukesh Ambani
4
Birthdate: April 19, 1957
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Aden, Yemen

The richest person in Asia, Mukesh Ambani is an Indian billionaire business magnate. He is the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL). The son legendary Dhirubhai Ambani, he started his career by helping his father build their family business. As of today, he is the only Indian businessman on Forbes' list of the world's most powerful people.

 2 
John D. Rockefeller
(American Businessman and Founder of the 'Standard Oil Company')
John D. Rockefeller
4
Birthdate: July 8, 1839
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Richford, New York, United States
Died: May 23, 1937

Widely regarded as the richest person in modern history and the wealthiest American ever, John D. Rockefeller was a business magnate who founded the Standard Oil Company. He was America’s first billionaire. He also defined the structure of modern philanthropy as the foundations created by him had a major effect on scientific research, medicine, and education.

 3 
J. Paul Getty
(British Petroleum Industrialist and Founder of the ‘Getty Oil Company’)
J. Paul Getty
6
Birthdate: December 15, 1892
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Died: June 6, 1976

As the patriarch of the Getty family, J. Paul Getty was an influential petrol-industrialist who founded the Getty Oil Company. In 1966, Paul made it to the Guinness Book of Records as the world's richest private citizen. An avid collector of antiquities and art, his collection is preserved at the J. Paul Getty Museum in California.

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 4 
Dhirubhai Ambani
(Indian Business Tycoon Who Founded Reliance Industries)
Dhirubhai Ambani
3
Birthdate: December 28, 1932
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Junagadh
Died: July 6, 2002

Dhirubhai Ambani was an Indian business tycoon. He is credited with founding Reliance Industries, which is currently the largest company in the country in terms of revenue. Dhirubhai Ambani's life and career inspired the 2007 drama film Guru, in which his character was portrayed by Abhishek Bachchan.

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 5 
Armand Hammer
(Business people)
Armand Hammer
5
Birthdate: May 21, 1898
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: December 10, 1990
 6 
Todd Palin
(American Oil Field Production Operator and First Gentleman of Alaska (2006 - 2009))
Todd Palin
2
Birthdate: September 6, 1964
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Dillingham, Alaska, United States
Oil production operator and commercial salmon fisherman Todd Palin made headlines for his relationship with former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin. Todd and Sarah eloped in high school and were married from 1988 to 2020. Todd is also a snowmobile racer who has won the Tesoro Iron Dog competition multiple times.
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 7 
Andrew William Mellon
(Industrialist, Philanthropist)
Andrew William Mellon
2
Birthdate: March 24, 1855
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: August 27, 1937

The son of wealthy Pittsburgh banker Thomas Mellon, Andrew William Mellon had followed in his father’s footsteps, to be a banker. He had also been the American ambassador to the U.K. and the American secretary of the treasury. He owned companies such as Alcoa, Old Overholt whiskey, and Gulf Oil.

 8 
Nelson Bunker Hunt
(Businessman)
Nelson Bunker Hunt
2
Birthdate: February 22, 1926
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: El Dorado, Arkansas, United States
Died: October 21, 2014

Texan oil magnate Nelson Bunker Hunt is best remembered for his colossal failure in his attempt to manipulate the global silver market by gathering huge amounts of the metal. Government intervention prevented his venture, and he and his brothers were banned from trading and later declared bankruptcy.

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 9 
Tony O'Reilly
(Irish Former Businessman and International Rugby Union Player)
Tony O'Reilly
2
Birthdate: May 7, 1936
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland

Tony O'Reilly excelled in various sports as a child, including football and cricket, but later chose rugby as his career path. Apart from being a famed Irish rugby player, he had also been a successful businessman, heading H.J. Heinz Company as its CEO. A debt issue led him to be declared bankrupt later.

 10 
Edwin Drake
(American Businessman and the First Person to Successfully Drill for Oil)
Edwin Drake
1
Birthdate: March 29, 1819
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Greenville, New York, United States
Died: November 9, 1880

Edwin Drake, or Colonel Drake, was the first American to drill an oil well successfully. Initially a railroad worker, he later helped develop Titusville and other oil-rich areas of northwestern Pennsylvania into booming oil-drilling zones. His failure to patent his techniques led to his poverty in his final years.

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 11 
William Rockefeller Jr.
(American Businessman and Co-Founder of 'Standard Oil')
William Rockefeller Jr.
2
Birthdate: May 31, 1841
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Richford, New York, United States
Died: June 24, 1922

Part of the famous Rockefeller family of bankers and industrialists, William Rockefeller played a major role in the development of the Standard Oil Company along with his brother John D. Rockefeller. His interests also included copper mining and railways, and he also set up what is now known as Citigroup.

 12 
William Knox D'Arcy
(Entrepreneur)
William Knox D'Arcy
1
Birthdate: October 11, 1849
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Newton Abbot, United Kingdom
Died: May 1, 1917
 13 
Harry Ford Sinclair
(American Industrialist and the Founder of 'Sinclair Oil')
Harry Ford Sinclair
1
Birthdate: July 6, 1876
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Benwood, West Virginia, United States
Died: November 10, 1956

Sinclair Oil Corporation founder Harry Ford Sinclair had followed into his father’s footsteps to become a pharmacist before venturing into the oil industry. Being a sports lover, he financially supported baseball's Federal League and also invested in thoroughbred race horses. He was dragged into the Teapot Dome Scandal, too.

 14 
J. Howard Pew
(American Industrialist Who Was the 'President of Sunoco')
J. Howard Pew
1
Birthdate: January 27, 1882
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Bradford, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: November 27, 1971

J. Howard Pew headed the Sun Oil Company, now known as Sunoco, founded by his father, oil magnate Joseph Newton Pew, Sr. He introduced many innovations in his company and later formed a shipbuilding company with his brother. He and his siblings also formed the Pew Charitable Trusts.

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 15 
Robert Orville Anderson
(American Businessman Who Was the Founder of ‘Atlantic Richfield Oil Co.' and Former CEO of ‘Arco')
Robert Orville Anderson
1
Birthdate: April 12, 1917
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: December 2, 2007

Apart from being an oil magnate, Atlantic Richfield founder Robert Orville Anderson was also a prominent art and culture lover. He financially backed organization such as Harper's Magazine and the LA County Museum of Art. He received many honorary degrees and awards and was made a life trustee of Caltech.

 16 
J. Hugh Liedtke
(American Petroleum Executive)
J. Hugh Liedtke
0
Birthdate: February 10, 1922
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Died: March 28, 2003

Oil tycoon J. Hugh Liedtke co-founded Zapata Petroleum Corp. along with his brother William Liedtke and president George H.W. Bush. He later acquired another company and merged it with Zapata to form Pennzoil, and eventually won a 4-year court battle to beat Texaco in the run for Getty Oil.

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 17 
Lee Wilder Thomas
(Businessman)
Lee Wilder Thomas
6
Birthdate: August 15, 1873
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Tehuacana, Texas, United States
Died: April 11, 1953

In his early days, Lee Wilder Thomas wished to preach the gospel, but he later concentrated on the oil business of his time. He, along with another African-American oil magnate Jake Simmons, Jr., formed the Simmons Royalty Co. He later developed the town of Summit in Oklahoma.