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Home Oil Company

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Home Oil Company Limited
IndustryPetroleum
Founded10 July 1925 (1925-07-10)
FounderJames R. Lowery
Defunct30 September 2002 (2002-09-30)
FateAcquired by Anderson Exploration
HeadquartersHome Oil Tower, 324 8 Ave SW,
Calgary, Alberta

Home Oil Company Limited was a Canadian independent petroleum company that existed from 1925 and 1995. Home was founded to produce oil in the Turner Valley field, and by the end of World War II was the country's largest independent producer.[1] Between 1952 and 1972, Home was controlled by Robert A. Brown Jr., who pursued an aggressive and high-risk strategy. From 1979 and 1991 Home Oil operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary, first of the Consumers' Gas Company, then of Hiram Walker, and lastly of the Interprovincial Pipe Line Company. On 1 May 1991, Home Oil regained its independent status, which it retained for the duration of its existence. In 1995, Anderson Exploration acquired Home for C$879 million.[2] After Devon Energy acquired Anderson in 2001, Home was finally struck off in September 2002.

History

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Home was founded in 1925 by James R. Lowery and was backed by a group of establishment businessmen from Vancouver.[3] By 1952, Robert A. Brown, Jr had acquired control of home.[4] He ran the company until 1971, when personal debt forced him to sell his stake. At that time the company was purchased by the Consumers' Gas Company Limited, based in Toronto.[5] In 1980 Consumers' was acquired by Hiram Walker, which ran Home until 1986.[6]

Leadership

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President

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William C. Shelly, 1925–1931
Lt-Col Nelson C. Spencer, 1931–1939
Robert Ker, 1939–1944
Maj James R. Lowery, 1944–1951
Robert B. Curran, 1951–1952
John W. Moyer, 1952–1955
Robert A. Brown Jr, 1955–1972
Ross F. Phillips, 1973–1979
Alexander M. McIntosh, 1979–1981
Richard F. Haskayne, 1981–1991
David E. Powell, 1991–1995

Chairman of the Board

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Maj-Gen John W. Stewart, 1925–1938
Lt-Col Nelson C. Spencer, 1939–1951
Maj James R. Lowery, 1951–1953
Robert A. Brown Jr, 1953–1955
John W. Moyer, 1955–1968
Oakah L. Jones, 1971–1973
Anthony G. S. Griffin, 1973–1979
Ross F. Phillips, 1979

References

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  1. ^ David Crane, Controlling Interest: The Canadian Gas and Oil Stakes (Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1982), 40.
  2. ^ Alan Boras, "Anderson takes over Home Oil," Calgary Herald (8 September 1995), D9.
  3. ^ Philip Smith, The Treasure-Seekers: The Men Who Built Home Oil, (Toronto: Macmillan, 1978), 25.
  4. ^ Earl Grey, The Great Canadian Oil Patch, (Toronto: Maclean-Hunter, 1970), 234.
  5. ^ A Tradition of Service: The Story of Consumers Gas, (Toronto: Bowne Incorporated, 1993), 170.
  6. ^ Timothy Pritchard, "Consumers' Gas and Hiram Walker seek $1.3 billion merger," Globe and Mail (10 January 1980), B1.
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