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

Early life

Jake L. Hamon Jr. was born on July 24, 1902, in

Lawton, Oklahoma Lawton is a city in and the county seat of Comanche County, Oklahoma, Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Located in western Oklahoma, approximately southwest of Oklahoma City, it is the principal city of the Lawton metropolitan ar ...

. He was named after his

father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...

; his mother was Georgia Perkins. He spent his childhood in

Ardmore, Oklahoma Ardmore is the county seat of Carter County, Oklahoma, Carter County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 24,725 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 1.8% increase over the 2010 census figure of 24,283. The Ardmo ...

. Hamon attended the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

for two years. He dropped out of college in 1920, when his father was shot to death.

Career and philanthropy

Hamon started his career in

Ranger, Texas Ranger is a city in Eastland County, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,300 at the 2020 census. Ranger College, a community college, is the second-largest employer in the community. During the 1920s, Ranger, like nearby Cisco, Eastland ...

, in 1920 and drilled his own well a year later. He subsequently partnered with oilman Edwin B. Cox ( Edwin L. Cox's father), and established a corporate office in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, in 1932. The two men worked together until 1950. Hamon served on the board of directors of the

American Petroleum Institute The American Petroleum Institute (API) is the largest U.S. trade association for the oil and natural gas industry. It claims to represent nearly 600 corporations involved in extraction of petroleum, production, oil refinery, refinement, pipeline ...

in 1934. 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. During World War II, he served as a member of the Petroleum Industry Council for National Defense. He was inducted in the

Oklahoma Hall of Fame The Oklahoma Hall of Fame was founded in 1927 by Anna B. Korn to officially celebrate Statehood Day, recognize Oklahomans dedicated to their communities, and provide educational programming for all ages. The first Oklahoma Hall of Fame Induction Cer ...

in 1968. Hamon founded the Hamon Oil Company in 1984. Hamon made charitable contributions to the

Dallas Museum of Art The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) is an art museum located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, along Woodall Rodgers Freeway between St. Paul and Harwood. In the 1970s, the museum moved from its previous location in Fair Park to the A ...

, and he served on the board of trustees of the Dallas Zoological Society and

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

. He was also on the board of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association.

Personal life

Hamon married Nancy Blackburn on March 28, 1949. They had two sons and a daughter. Hamon was a personal friend of former President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

. Hamon and his wife visited the Bushes in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

when Bush served as Envoy to China in March 1975. Hamon died in 1985 while he was on vacation in Amsterdam.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamon, Jake L. Jr. 1902 births 1985 deaths People from Lawton, Oklahoma Businesspeople from Dallas University of Chicago alumni Businesspeople from Oklahoma American businesspeople in the oil industry 20th-century American businesspeople