Henri Deterding
Encyclopedia
Henri Wilhelm August Deterding KBE (Hon), (19 April 1866, Amsterdam
- 4 February 1939, St. Moritz
) was one of the first executives of the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company and for 36 years (1900–1936) its chairman and the chairman of the combined Royal Dutch/Shell
oil company. He came to power after the early death of the Royal Dutch's original leader, Jean Baptiste August Kessler. He made it to the runner up against John D. Rockefeller
's Standard Oil
and it is still one of the world's largest petroleum
companies. He was made an honorary KBE in 1920, ostensibly for service to Anglo-Dutch relations, but mainly for his work supplying Allies
with petroleum during World War I
.
Called the "Napoleon of Oil", Deterding was responsible for developing the tanker fleet that let Royal Dutch compete with the Shell company of Marcus Samuel
. He led Royal Dutch to several major mergers and acquisitions, including a merger with Samuel's "Shell" Transport and Trading Company in 1907 and the purchase of Azerbaijan
oil fields from the Rothschild family
in 1911. In the last years of his life, Deterding became controversial when he became an admirer of the German Nazi
party. In 1936, he discussed with them the sale of a year's oil reserves
on credit; the next year, he was forced to resign from the company's board.
In 1936 he bought the manor of Dobbin near Krakow am See
, (Germany) and moved to that place. After he died in Switzerland
he was buried at Dobbin in Mecklenburg
, but his body was transferred to a grave in Liechtenstein
in 1968 .
Deterding was married three times (resp. to Catharina Neubronner, Lydia Koudoyaroff and to Charlotte Knaack) and had seven children, among whom the eccentric Olga Deterding
.
That same day however, the Dutch envoy in London René de Marees van Swinderen
noted in a letter to the Dutch foreign minister Herman Adriaan van Karnebeek
:
Deterding died in 1939.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
- 4 February 1939, St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
) was one of the first executives of the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company and for 36 years (1900–1936) its chairman and the chairman of the combined Royal Dutch/Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
oil company. He came to power after the early death of the Royal Dutch's original leader, Jean Baptiste August Kessler. He made it to the runner up against John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
's Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
and it is still one of the world's largest petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
companies. He was made an honorary KBE in 1920, ostensibly for service to Anglo-Dutch relations, but mainly for his work supplying Allies
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
with petroleum during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Called the "Napoleon of Oil", Deterding was responsible for developing the tanker fleet that let Royal Dutch compete with the Shell company of Marcus Samuel
Marcus Samuel, 1st Viscount Bearsted
Marcus Samuel, 1st Viscount Bearsted JP , known as Sir Marcus Samuel, 1st Baronet between 1903 and 1921 and subsequently as The Lord Bearsted until 1925, was the founder of the Shell Transport and Trading Company, a precursor to Royal Dutch Shell.-Career:Samuel was born into a Jewish family in...
. He led Royal Dutch to several major mergers and acquisitions, including a merger with Samuel's "Shell" Transport and Trading Company in 1907 and the purchase of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
oil fields from the Rothschild family
Rothschild family
The Rothschild family , known as The House of Rothschild, or more simply as the Rothschilds, is a Jewish-German family that established European banking and finance houses starting in the late 18th century...
in 1911. In the last years of his life, Deterding became controversial when he became an admirer of the German Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
party. In 1936, he discussed with them the sale of a year's oil reserves
Oil reserves
The total estimated amount of oil in an oil reservoir, including both producible and non-producible oil, is called oil in place. However, because of reservoir characteristics and limitations in petroleum extraction technologies, only a fraction of this oil can be brought to the surface, and it is...
on credit; the next year, he was forced to resign from the company's board.
In 1936 he bought the manor of Dobbin near Krakow am See
Krakow am See
Krakow am See is a municipality in the Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany.It is situated southeast of Güstrow at lake Krakower See....
, (Germany) and moved to that place. After he died in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
he was buried at Dobbin in Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
, but his body was transferred to a grave in Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
in 1968 .
Deterding was married three times (resp. to Catharina Neubronner, Lydia Koudoyaroff and to Charlotte Knaack) and had seven children, among whom the eccentric Olga Deterding
Olga Deterding
Olga Deterding was a wealthy heiress and socialite who regularly featured in the gossip columns of London Society during the Sixties and Seventies. She inherited an estimated £50 million from her father Sir Henri Deterding the founder of Royal Dutch Petroleum, and at one point in the seventies...
.
Trivia
The British newspaper The Daily Mail erroneously published his obituary on the 27th June 1924, with the news being copied by the New York Times.That same day however, the Dutch envoy in London René de Marees van Swinderen
René de Marees van Swinderen
Jhr. Reneke de Marees van Swinderen was a Dutch diplomat and politician.-References:* at the Institute of Netherlands History]...
noted in a letter to the Dutch foreign minister Herman Adriaan van Karnebeek
Herman Adriaan van Karnebeek
Herman Adriaan van Karnebeek was a Dutch politician. He was Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs and president of the League of Nations from 1921 until 1922.-Notes:...
:
- "P.S. Ik kon de verleiding niet weerstaan om hierbij in te sluiten de necrologie door de Daily Mail heden gewijd aan den gelukkig springlevenden Deterding."
Deterding died in 1939.
See also
- The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and PowerThe Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and PowerThe Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power is Daniel Yergin's 800-page history of the global oil industry from the 1850s through 1990...
- List of honorary British Knights