Jake Hamon
Jake Hamon
“His own firm in Dallas is called Jake L. Hamon, period – no ‘company,’ no ‘incorporated,’ just one man who, in his own quiet way, can move mountains.”
Biography
Jake Louis Hamon, Jr., was born in Lawton and moved with his family to Ardmore, Oklahoma, when he was five years old. He attended the University of Chicago for two years, and then began his oil career in 1920 as a roustabout in the Texas oilfield. He drilled his first well in 1921 and later returned to Oklahoma where he entered into a partnership with another famous oilman, Edwin Cox. He moved his headquarters to Dallas, Texas, in 1932 and the successful partnership was dissolved in 1950. Hamon then operated independently in a multi-state area as a sole proprietor until 1984 when he incorporated as Hamon Oil Company. He served as president of the American Petroleum Institute, a director and officer in numerous civic groups including the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association and the Southwestern Medical Foundation, and a trustee of Southern Methodist University.
Fun fact
Jake Hamon’s first pet was a baby coyote, which he raised on a bottle. He remembered, “It was reasonably friendly…just bit me once in a while.”
Oklahoma connections
Hamon was born in Lawton and grew up in Ardmore, Oklahoma.