Laclede Gas Company is the largest

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

distribution

utility In economics, utility is a measure of a certain person's satisfaction from a certain state of the world. Over time, the term has been used with at least two meanings. * In a normative context, utility refers to a goal or objective that we wish ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, serving about 632,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in the city of

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

and ten counties in eastern Missouri. As an adjunct to its gas distribution business, the company operates an underground natural gas storage field, a

propane Propane () is a three-carbon chain alkane with the molecular formula . It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, but becomes liquid when compressed for transportation and storage. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum ref ...

storage cavern, and propane vaporization facilities. Laclede Gas is a regulated public utility and a wholly owned subsidiary of

Spire Inc Spire Inc. is a regional public utility holding company based in St. Louis, Missouri, providing natural gas service through its regulated core utility operations while engaging in non-regulated activities that provide business opportunities. Its ...

. (formerly Laclede Group). Its corporate headquarters is located in the 700 Market building in downtown St. Louis.

History

It was founded as the Laclede Gas Light Company, as the invention of gas lit street and home lamps was a primary, and innovative use of natural gas. In the 1800s, gas lighting began to displace candles and lamps that burned

whale oil Whale oil is oil obtained from the blubber of whales. Oil from the bowhead whale was sometimes known as train-oil, which comes from the Dutch word ''traan'' ("tear drop"). Sperm oil, a special kind of oil used in the cavities of sperm whales, ...

camphine Camphine was the British trade name of a 19th-century lamp fuel made from purified spirits of turpentine. Generally prepared by distilling turpentine with quicklime, it gave off a brilliant light. It was burned in chimney lamps that produced a s ...

, burning fluid (a blend of

turpentine Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthine, terebenthene, terebinthine and, colloquially, turps) is a fluid obtainable by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Principall ...

and

alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

) and

kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...

. It predated the invention of

electric light Electric light is an artificial light source powered by electricity. Electric Light may also refer to: * Light fixture, a decorative enclosure for an electric light source * Electric Light (album), ''Electric Light'' (album), a 2018 album by James ...

ing and gas cooking and heating. Laclede Gas Light Co was chartered in Missouri on March 2, 1857, named for

Pierre Laclède Pierre Laclède Liguest or Pierre Laclède (22 November 1729 – 20 June 1778) was a French fur trader who, with his young assistant and stepson Auguste Chouteau, founded St. Louis in 1764, in what was then Spanish Upper Louisiana, in present-da ...

, the founder of the city of St. Louis. In 1905,

North American Company The North American Company was a holding company incorporated in New Jersey on June 14, 1890, and controlled by Henry Villard, to succeed to the assets and property of the Oregon and Transcontinental Company. It owned public utilities and publ ...

, a public utilities conglomerate, acquired St. Louis United Railways, the consolidated streetcar company in St. Louis, which operated as St. Louis Transit Company. North American reported they owned Union Electric and Laclede Gas See Streetcars in St. Louis. In 1909, North American decided to sell Laclede Gas after lawyers advised they might be in violation of Missouri’s antitrust law.

American Light and Traction American Light and Traction was founded in 1900 for the purpose for consolidating the utility industry's small, local power suppliers. By 1901, American Light and Traction owned and controlled over 40 gas producing plants, electric light and tra ...

was under consideration as a possible buyer, but they were outbid by a consortium of St. Louis capitalists led by G. H. Walker and

Adolphus Busch Adolphus Busch (10 July 1839 – 10 October 1913) was the German-born co-founder of Anheuser-Busch with his father-in-law, Eberhard Anheuser. He introduced numerous innovations, building the success of the company in the late 19th and early 2 ...

. They paid $7 million for the seven elevenths of outstanding shares owned by North American. Walker was a broker who planned to resell his shares. Busch’s share was $1 million

References

Sources

* Beck, Bill (2007). ''Laclede Gas and St. Louis: 150 Years Working Together, 1857-2007'', Laclede Gas Company.

External links

Laclede Gas Company website
Natural gas companies of the United States Energy infrastructure in Missouri Companies based in St. Louis American companies established in 1857 Energy companies established in 1857 Non-renewable resource companies established in 1857 1857 establishments in Missouri Former components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average {{US-energy-company-stub

History

See also

References

Sources

External links