Thomas A. O'Donnell
Encyclopedia
Thomas Arthur O'Donnell (June 26, 1870 – February 21, 1945), was an Irish American
pioneer in the California
oil industry along with Edward L. Doheny
, Charles A. Canfield and Max H. Whittier
who became known as the “big four.”
until the age 12 when he left Pennsylvania
and arrived in Florence, Colorado
. He remained there for two years working in an all-around capacity as a grocery store clerk
.
With his ambitions extending beyond the grocery store, O'Donnell went to work in a gold mine and for the next five years, with pick and shovel, became a very experienced miner by the age of 19. In 1889 he gave up mining and headed to California where he obtained a position at the Union Oil Company in Ventura County
remaining there for four years where he mastered the oil business.
where he met Edward L. Doheny, a wealthy pioneer in the development of oil in California. Working as a field superintendent for Doheny for about a year, O'Donnell too saw the promise that the oil fields held and decided to go into business for himself forming a partnership drilling oil wells with Max H. Whittier. The partnership with Whittier lasted for five years, at the end of which, O'Donnell decided to continue alone becoming an independent driller, operator and oil land speculator.
In 1902, O'Donnell entered the oil fields in Coalinga, California
, and his success there was one of the most remarkable on record. He organized several companies and financed many of them himself. As well as holding other positions in other companies, O'Donnell held presidencies in the Whittier Consolidated Oil Company, Midland Oil Fields Company, Coalinga Four Oil Company, Section One Oil Company, Circle Oil Company, Maricopa Star Oil Company, California Star Oil Company, Buena Fe Petroleum and Salvia Oil Company.
When Doheny became interested in Mexican oil holdings in 1907, O'Donnell handled his interests in California and helped form the American Petroleum Company, followed by the American Oil Fields Company, holding the positions of vice-president and field manager of both companies. At the time, the two companies were among the largest independent concerns in the United States
controlling wide areas of the best oil lands in the most productive districts of California.
In 1912, the two companies merged into the California Petroleum Corporation, known as Calpet. O'Donnell served as president and board chairman of Calpet until it was sold to the Texas Company, known as Texaco
. O'Donnell became a director in the Texas Company later retiring from that position.
During World War I
, O'Donnell served with the Fuel Conservation Board and became national director of oil production for the United States Federal Fuel Administration
. Upon his departure, Thomas received a letter and check for one dollar from Harry A. Garfield
, United States Fuel Administrator, as a token of appreciation in recognition of his service as a volunteer.
O'Donnell became the first president of the American Petroleum Institute
, the largest national trade association representing the industry, serving from 1919 – 1924. He was also influential in forming the Independent Oil Producers Association and served as a member of the executive board. O'Donnell held directorships at the Farmers and Merchants National Bank, Mexican Petroleum Company
and a number of other Doheny oil companies. He also headed several committees including one to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
regarding the protection of interests in Tampico, Mexico during the Tampico Affair
.
A year later he married Dr. Winnifred Willis (Nov. 5, 1880 – Jan. 24, 1969), a Long Beach
osteopath, in the Willard Hotel
in Washington, D.C.
Willis was considered to be one of the most prominent osteopaths in Southern California and a leader in that profession in all the country. Willis was born in New York
and married William E. Jenney, a successful dentist
, in 1900 and moving to California in 1916. Winnifred and William were later divorced in 1924.
in the early 1920's seeking relief from a respiratory condition. On 14.96 acres (60,541 m²) of leased land from Nellie Coffman, owner of the Desert Inn, he constructed the 4100 square feet (380.9 m²) home which would become the O'Donnell House – also known as “Ojo del Desierto,” or Eye of the Desert. The O'Donnell House remained the highest mountainside home in Palm Springs for more than forty years.
For fifteen years, O'Donnell and his wife, Winnifred, spent their winters at the O'Donnell House. Thomas' heart condition prevented him from using the stairs, so he decided to build a smaller, one story house on the nearby golf course
. This house would later become the clubhouse for the O'Donnell Golf Club.
O' Donnell Golf Club was built in Palm Springs in the mid-1920's. He purchased the land in 1925 upon which the O'Donnell Course is now built, as well as seven hundred fifty shares of Whitewater Mutual Water Company and helped it bring fresh water through a pipeline fourteen miles (21 km) from Whitewater Canyon to the desert before anyone knew there was water under Palm Springs.
Thomas bought property at the corner of Stevens Road and North Palm Canyon Drive and built a reservoir
, which also acted as a desalting basin, through which Whitewater Mutual routed its pipeline to the area that was to become the golf course. O'Donnell was one of the five incorporators of Whitewater Mutual Water Company, which was incorporated on May 5, 1927.
In the following years O'Donnell built the golf course, and for the next fifteen years he operated it at his own expense before, in 1944 he organized the O'Donnell Golf Club as a private, non-profit club. He gave the club a ninety-nine year lease for the golf course, the reservoir property and the seven hundred fifty shares of the Whitewater Mutual stock.
Dozens of benefactions and philanthropies can be attributed to Thomas O'Donnell, but probably biggest among these are his making possible, through his financial assistance, the Welwood Memorial Library, the Public Health Center, Welfare and Friendly Aid and the public address system on the mountainside above his home at the edge of the O'Donnell Golf Club.
, a Mystic Shriner
and an Elk
. He held memberships in the Jonathan Club
and Sierra Madre
Club, both of Los Angeles, and the Growler's Club, of Coalinga. Thomas was also president of the O'Donnell Golf Club from 1944 until his death in 1945.
siege, O'Donnell died of a related heart ailment at the Wilshire Hospital in Los Angeles on February 21, 1945 at the age 74. Before passing he wrote “finis,” a Latin word meaning "the end." The funeral services were held at the Church of the Recessional, Forest Lawn Memorial Park
. Services were also held at the same time in Palm Springs near the entrance of the O'Donnell Golf Club.
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
pioneer in the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
oil industry along with Edward L. Doheny
Edward L. Doheny
Edward Laurence Doheny was an American oil tycoon, who in 1892, along with business partner Charles A. Canfield, drilled the first successful oil well in the Los Angeles City Oil Field, setting off the petroleum boom in Southern California.At first he was an unsuccessful prospector in the state of...
, Charles A. Canfield and Max H. Whittier
Max Whittier
Max H. Whittier was an American real estate developer and a pioneer in the early California petroleum industry.-Biography:Max Whittier , was born to Charles G. Whittier and Ruth Keech, came to California from Maine at the age of 24 and settled in the Santa Paula region where he secured a job as a...
who became known as the “big four.”
Early life
Thomas A. O'Donnell was born in McKean, Erie County, Pennsylvania to Thomas O'Donnell and Myra Parsons, where he worked for some time as a newsboyPaperboy
A paperboy is the general name for a person employed by a newspaper, They are often used around the office to run low end errands. They make copies and distribute them. Paperboys traditionally were and are still often portrayed on television and movies as preteen boys, often on a bicycle...
until the age 12 when he left Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and arrived in Florence, Colorado
Florence, Colorado
The City of Florence is a Statutory City located in Fremont County, Colorado, United States. The population was 3,653 at the 2000 census.ADX Florence, the only federal Supermax prison in the United States, is located south of Florence in an unincorporated area in Fremont County...
. He remained there for two years working in an all-around capacity as a grocery store clerk
Clerk
Clerk, the vocational title, commonly refers to a white-collar worker who conducts general office or, in some instances, sales tasks. It is also occasionally used to refer to third-year medical students completing a medical clerkship. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record...
.
With his ambitions extending beyond the grocery store, O'Donnell went to work in a gold mine and for the next five years, with pick and shovel, became a very experienced miner by the age of 19. In 1889 he gave up mining and headed to California where he obtained a position at the Union Oil Company in Ventura County
Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...
remaining there for four years where he mastered the oil business.
Career
Leaving Union Oil in 1893, O'Donnell went to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where he met Edward L. Doheny, a wealthy pioneer in the development of oil in California. Working as a field superintendent for Doheny for about a year, O'Donnell too saw the promise that the oil fields held and decided to go into business for himself forming a partnership drilling oil wells with Max H. Whittier. The partnership with Whittier lasted for five years, at the end of which, O'Donnell decided to continue alone becoming an independent driller, operator and oil land speculator.
In 1902, O'Donnell entered the oil fields in Coalinga, California
Coalinga, California
Coalinga is a city in Fresno County, California. The population was 13,380 at the 2010 census, up from 11,668 at the 2000 census. It is the site of both Pleasant Valley State Prison and Coalinga State Hospital. Coalinga is located southwest of Fresno, at an elevation of 673 feet .-Early...
, and his success there was one of the most remarkable on record. He organized several companies and financed many of them himself. As well as holding other positions in other companies, O'Donnell held presidencies in the Whittier Consolidated Oil Company, Midland Oil Fields Company, Coalinga Four Oil Company, Section One Oil Company, Circle Oil Company, Maricopa Star Oil Company, California Star Oil Company, Buena Fe Petroleum and Salvia Oil Company.
When Doheny became interested in Mexican oil holdings in 1907, O'Donnell handled his interests in California and helped form the American Petroleum Company, followed by the American Oil Fields Company, holding the positions of vice-president and field manager of both companies. At the time, the two companies were among the largest independent concerns in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
controlling wide areas of the best oil lands in the most productive districts of California.
In 1912, the two companies merged into the California Petroleum Corporation, known as Calpet. O'Donnell served as president and board chairman of Calpet until it was sold to the Texas Company, known as Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
. O'Donnell became a director in the Texas Company later retiring from that position.
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...
, O'Donnell served with the Fuel Conservation Board and became national director of oil production for the United States Federal Fuel Administration
Federal Fuel Administration
The Federal Fuel Administration was a World War I-era agency of the Federal government of the United States established by of August 23, 1917 pursuant to the Food and Fuel Control Act....
. Upon his departure, Thomas received a letter and check for one dollar from Harry A. Garfield
Harry Augustus Garfield
Harry Augustus "Hal" Garfield was an American lawyer, academic and public official. He was president of Williams College and supervised the Federal Fuel Administration during World War I.-Biography:He was the son of U.S. President James A...
, United States Fuel Administrator, as a token of appreciation in recognition of his service as a volunteer.
O'Donnell became the first president of the American Petroleum Institute
American Petroleum Institute
The American Petroleum Institute, commonly referred to as API, is the largest U.S trade association for the oil and natural gas industry...
, the largest national trade association representing the industry, serving from 1919 – 1924. He was also influential in forming the Independent Oil Producers Association and served as a member of the executive board. O'Donnell held directorships at the Farmers and Merchants National Bank, Mexican Petroleum Company
Pemex
Petróleos Mexicanos or Pemex is a Mexican state-owned petroleum company. As of 2010, with a total asset worth of $415.75 billion, it is the second non-publicly listed largest company in the world by total market value, and Latin America's second largest enterprise by annual revenue as of 2009...
and a number of other Doheny oil companies. He also headed several committees including one to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
regarding the protection of interests in Tampico, Mexico during the Tampico Affair
Tampico Affair
The Tampico Affair started off as a minor incident involving U.S. sailors and Mexican land forces loyal to General Victoriano Huerta during the guerra de las facciones phase of the Mexican Revolution...
.
Family
Thomas met Lillian Constance Wood, a native of California, and married her in 1897. They had two daughters, Ruth O'Donnell Davis (Oct. 24, 1898 – Jan. 28. 1985) and Doris O'Donnell Connolly (Jan 5. 1901 - 1977). Lillian and Thomas divorced in 1924 and a property settlement of $750,000 in cash and security was approved by the court.A year later he married Dr. Winnifred Willis (Nov. 5, 1880 – Jan. 24, 1969), a Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
osteopath, in the Willard Hotel
Willard InterContinental Washington
The Willard InterContinental Washington is an historic luxury Beaux-Arts hotel located at 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. Among its facilities are numerous luxurious guest rooms, several restaurants, the famed Round Robin Bar, the Peacock Alley series of luxury shops, and voluminous...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Willis was considered to be one of the most prominent osteopaths in Southern California and a leader in that profession in all the country. Willis was born in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and married William E. Jenney, a successful dentist
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
, in 1900 and moving to California in 1916. Winnifred and William were later divorced in 1924.
Palm Springs
Thomas O'Donnell went to Palm Springs, CaliforniaPalm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
in the early 1920's seeking relief from a respiratory condition. On 14.96 acres (60,541 m²) of leased land from Nellie Coffman, owner of the Desert Inn, he constructed the 4100 square feet (380.9 m²) home which would become the O'Donnell House – also known as “Ojo del Desierto,” or Eye of the Desert. The O'Donnell House remained the highest mountainside home in Palm Springs for more than forty years.
For fifteen years, O'Donnell and his wife, Winnifred, spent their winters at the O'Donnell House. Thomas' heart condition prevented him from using the stairs, so he decided to build a smaller, one story house on the nearby golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
. This house would later become the clubhouse for the O'Donnell Golf Club.
O' Donnell Golf Club was built in Palm Springs in the mid-1920's. He purchased the land in 1925 upon which the O'Donnell Course is now built, as well as seven hundred fifty shares of Whitewater Mutual Water Company and helped it bring fresh water through a pipeline fourteen miles (21 km) from Whitewater Canyon to the desert before anyone knew there was water under Palm Springs.
Thomas bought property at the corner of Stevens Road and North Palm Canyon Drive and built a reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
, which also acted as a desalting basin, through which Whitewater Mutual routed its pipeline to the area that was to become the golf course. O'Donnell was one of the five incorporators of Whitewater Mutual Water Company, which was incorporated on May 5, 1927.
In the following years O'Donnell built the golf course, and for the next fifteen years he operated it at his own expense before, in 1944 he organized the O'Donnell Golf Club as a private, non-profit club. He gave the club a ninety-nine year lease for the golf course, the reservoir property and the seven hundred fifty shares of the Whitewater Mutual stock.
Dozens of benefactions and philanthropies can be attributed to Thomas O'Donnell, but probably biggest among these are his making possible, through his financial assistance, the Welwood Memorial Library, the Public Health Center, Welfare and Friendly Aid and the public address system on the mountainside above his home at the edge of the O'Donnell Golf Club.
Fraternities and clubs
As of 1912, O'Donnell was a Thirty-second Degree MasonFreemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, a Mystic Shriner
Shriners
The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, also commonly known as Shriners and abbreviated A.A.O.N.M.S., established in 1870, is an appendant body to Freemasonry, based in the United States...
and an Elk
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is an American fraternal order and social club founded in 1868...
. He held memberships in the Jonathan Club
Jonathan Club
The Jonathan Club is a private social club in Los Angeles, California, U.S. It maintains two clubhouses, one in downtown Los Angeles at 545 South Figueroa Street and one on the beach in Santa Monica. The Los Angeles headquarters has dining and residential facilities, ballrooms, a health club, a...
and Sierra Madre
Sierra Madre, California
The city of Sierra Madre is a municipality in Los Angeles County, California whose population was 10,917 at the 2010 census, up from 10,580 at the time of the 2000 census. The city is located in the Foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains below the southern edge of the Angeles National Forest. ...
Club, both of Los Angeles, and the Growler's Club, of Coalinga. Thomas was also president of the O'Donnell Golf Club from 1944 until his death in 1945.
Death
After suffering a heart attack in 1941 during an influenzaInfluenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
siege, O'Donnell died of a related heart ailment at the Wilshire Hospital in Los Angeles on February 21, 1945 at the age 74. Before passing he wrote “finis,” a Latin word meaning "the end." The funeral services were held at the Church of the Recessional, Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the original location of Forest Lawn, a chain of cemeteries in Southern California. The land was formerly part of Providencia Ranch.-History:...
. Services were also held at the same time in Palm Springs near the entrance of the O'Donnell Golf Club.