
Family tree of William Lukens ELKINS
Born William Lukens ELKINS
American businessman, inventor, and art collector
Born on May 2, 1832 in Wheeling, West Virginia, USA , United States
Died on November 7, 1903 in Elkins Estate, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, USA
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Always looking for business opportunities, William Elkins soon recognized the potential for the usages of oil being pumped from the developing oilfields of Northwestern Pennsylvania and became a pioneer in the refining of crude oil. In Philadelphia he founded Monument Oil Works that built a primitive oil refinery which he constantly modernized and soon expanded into other locations. His company was the first to make gasoline and was involved in the production of asphalt. In 1875, the increasingly wealthy Elkins entered into a partnership with Standard Oil, becoming a significant shareholder in that oil giant.
... Although his father was a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, William Elkins was born in Wheeling, West Virginia. He started his working life at a grocery store in Philadelphia where his family had returned to live. He next worked for a produce company and eventually formed a partnership with Peter Saybolt to operate their own produce business. By 1860 Elkins had bought out his partner and built the operation into the largest store of its kind in the United States.
Always looking for business opportunities, William Elkins soon recognized the potential for the usages of oil being pumped from the developing oilfields of Northwestern Pennsylvania and became a pioneer in the refining of crude oil. In Philadelphia he founded Monument Oil Works that built a primitive oil refinery which he constantly modernized and soon expanded into other locations. His company was the first to make gasoline and was involved in the production of asphalt. In 1875, the increasingly wealthy Elkins entered into a partnership with Standard Oil, becoming a significant shareholder in that oil giant.
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