Thomas Barger
Encyclopedia
Thomas Barger was an American geologist
, explorer, miner, businessman and former CEO of the Arabian American Oil Company (formerly Aramco now Saudi Aramco
).
in 1909 to Mary Barger and Michael Thomas Barger.
He grew up in Linton, North Dakota
and graduated from the University of North Dakota
's College of Engineering in Grand Forks, North Dakota
with a degree in mining
and metallurgy
in 1931.
After college he worked as a surveyor and miner in Canada, an engineer, assayer and assistant manager of a silver and radium
mine in the Northwest Territories and as an assistant professor of mining at the University of North Dakota.
He accepted a position at the Anaconda Copper Mining Company but the Great Depression
and falling copper prices resulted in his being forced to find work elsewhere.
In 1937 Barger interviewed with J.O. Nomland, the chief geologist at the Standard Oil Company of California, in San Francisco and accepted a job as a surveyor in Saudi Arabia.
He married Kathleen Elizabeth Ray on November 18, 1937 shortly before heading off to Saudi Arabia by himself for what ended up being three years exploring potential oil sites in the Saudi Arabian desert along with fellow American geologists Max Steineke
, Jerry Harriss, Ernie Berg and others as well as a group of Bedouin
guides headed by Khamis bin Rimthan of the Ajman
tribe.
After the men discovered Saudi Arabia's vast fields of oil Barger began a career with Aramco that would last 32 years. He started as a surveyor and geologist then worked as the director of Local Government Relations, was the company representative to the Saudi government and was manager for Concession Affairs.
Fluent in Arabic, Barger was a key element in the company's relationship with the Saudi government and people. He ensured that the goal of the company was to be mutually beneficial, training and employing thousands of Saudis and eventually becoming a Saudi run and owned entity (which it is today).
In 1957 Barger became a vice president and assistant to President Norman Hardy
. In 1959 Barger became president of Aramco and in 1961 he was appointed the company's Chief Executive Officer.
Kathleen and Thomas lived in Dhahran
and had six children. Barger retired from the company in 1969.
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
, explorer, miner, businessman and former CEO of the Arabian American Oil Company (formerly Aramco now Saudi Aramco
Saudi Aramco
Saudi Aramco , officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, is the national oil company of Saudi Arabia.Saudi Aramco is the world's largest and most valuable privately-held company, with estimates of its value in 2011 to be $7 trillion USD.Saudi Aramco has both the largest proven crude oil reserves,...
).
Biography
Thomas Barger was born in Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
in 1909 to Mary Barger and Michael Thomas Barger.
He grew up in Linton, North Dakota
Linton, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,321 people, 613 households, and 386 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,791.4 people per square mile . There were 701 housing units at an average density of 950.6 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 99.17% White, 0.23%...
and graduated from the University of North Dakota
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
's College of Engineering in Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
with a degree in mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
and metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
in 1931.
After college he worked as a surveyor and miner in Canada, an engineer, assayer and assistant manager of a silver and radium
Radium
Radium is a chemical element with atomic number 88, represented by the symbol Ra. Radium is an almost pure-white alkaline earth metal, but it readily oxidizes on exposure to air, becoming black in color. All isotopes of radium are highly radioactive, with the most stable isotope being radium-226,...
mine in the Northwest Territories and as an assistant professor of mining at the University of North Dakota.
He accepted a position at the Anaconda Copper Mining Company but the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and falling copper prices resulted in his being forced to find work elsewhere.
In 1937 Barger interviewed with J.O. Nomland, the chief geologist at the Standard Oil Company of California, in San Francisco and accepted a job as a surveyor in Saudi Arabia.
He married Kathleen Elizabeth Ray on November 18, 1937 shortly before heading off to Saudi Arabia by himself for what ended up being three years exploring potential oil sites in the Saudi Arabian desert along with fellow American geologists Max Steineke
Max Steineke
Max Steineke was a famous American petroleum geologist, and Casoc's Chief Geologist who is referred to as the discoverer of oil in Saudi Arabia under Standard Oil of California contracts with the Saudi government in the 1930s. He graduated from Stanford University in 1921 with an AB degree in...
, Jerry Harriss, Ernie Berg and others as well as a group of Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
guides headed by Khamis bin Rimthan of the Ajman
Ajman
Ajman , also spelt Ujman, is one of the seven emirates constituting the United Arab Emirates . With an area of just 260 square kilometres , Ajman is the smallest emirate by area...
tribe.
After the men discovered Saudi Arabia's vast fields of oil Barger began a career with Aramco that would last 32 years. He started as a surveyor and geologist then worked as the director of Local Government Relations, was the company representative to the Saudi government and was manager for Concession Affairs.
Fluent in Arabic, Barger was a key element in the company's relationship with the Saudi government and people. He ensured that the goal of the company was to be mutually beneficial, training and employing thousands of Saudis and eventually becoming a Saudi run and owned entity (which it is today).
In 1957 Barger became a vice president and assistant to President Norman Hardy
Norman Hardy
Norman Hardy played first-class cricket for Somerset between 1912 and 1921. He was born at Norton Malreward, Somerset and died at Fishponds, Bristol....
. In 1959 Barger became president of Aramco and in 1961 he was appointed the company's Chief Executive Officer.
Kathleen and Thomas lived in Dhahran
Dhahran
Dhahran is a city located in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, and is a major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry. Large oil reserves were first identified in the Dhahran area in 1931, and in 1935 Standard Oil of California drilled the first commercially viable oil well...
and had six children. Barger retired from the company in 1969.
External links
- New York Times - Obituary
- Out in the Blue - Pictures of Tom Barger and his wife and of Saudi Arabia from the 1930's onward
- Time Magazine - Personal File on Thomas Barger
- Tom Barger: Myth or Man? - Saudi Aramco World Magazine cover story