The Seven SistersJacqueline Slaby

Family Tree1

STANDARD OIL SHELL

EXXON

STANDARD OIL

MOBILSOCAL

35 OTHER SMALL COMPANIES (sohio, amoco, Vacuum, etc.)

AMERICAN BRITISH(Persian/Dutch)

ROYAL DUTCH

ROYAL DUTCH

SHELL

GULFTEXACO

BP (BRITISH PETROLEUM)

OTHER SMALL COMPANIES

POSTTHE

SEVEN SISTERS

SAUDI ARAMCO EXXONMOBIL

CHEVRONCHEVRON

TEXACO CHEVRON

ROYAL DUTCH

SHELLBP

PETROCHINA

NATION IRANIAN OIL CO.

GAZPROM

Exxon

Standard Oil Sister

‘Independent’ in 1911

Overseen by John D. Archbold

Largest Oil Company in the World

People’s distrust in American Companies

Money, Markets, Very Little Oil

Business Overseas

Mobil

Standard Oil Sister

‘Independent’ in 1911

Overseen by Henry Clay Folger

Smallest of the Seven Sisters

Merged with Vacuum in 1931

Huge Markets (England, China), No Oil

SoCal

Standard Oil Sister

‘Independent’ in 1911

Formed only 11 years prior to Standard’s split

Exported oil across Pacific to China

Owned 26% of total U.S. oil production by 1919

TexacoFounded by Joseph Cullinan in partnership with Arnold Schalet, 1901

Houston Headquarter, 1913

Drilled at Spindletop

Inland trading (Mississippi sugar planters, Standard Oil)

Produced 5% of All American Oil by 1904

Company direction based on Texan Leadership

Elgood Lufkin succeeds Cullinan, 1913

GulfFormed by James Guffey and Galey

Financed by Thomas Mellon

Oil first found at Spindletop, shortage soon after

Sold out to Standard in 1895, Founded in 1901

Oil found again in Tulsa in 1906, Guffey ousted

Opened first drive-in filling station in Pittsburgh, 1908, in response to increasing popularity of automobiles

Large fleet, Markets, and Large Production of Oil

ShellBritish (Dutch) Sister

Founded by Marcus Samuel in 1897

Drilled in Russia, competed with Standard

Large Fleet, Transport Disadvantage

Named after shells

Taken over by Henri Deterding’s Royal Dutch Company

First sister agreement with Gulf, 1901

Less Distrust in Oil Companies by the people of England

BPBritish (Persian) Sister

Founded by William Knox D’Arcy

Burmah Oil Company -> Anglo-Persian Oil Company -> Anglo-Iranian -> British Petroleum

Overseas Drilling

BP vs. Shell for British Loyalty

Half owned by Churchill by 1914

Supplied British Navy

Modern World Transformation

Oil! The Rediscovery

Organized Industry

Government Intervention

Post WWII Carve-Up]

SHORTAGE VS.

PRODUCTION

PRICE CUTTING

PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE

NATURAL MONOPOLY

Onto the 21st Century...Exxon merges with Mobil - ExxonMobil(4)

Royal Dutch Shell remains in Top 7 as of 2012 (7)

SoCal merges with Gulf - Chevron (9)

Texaco merges with Chevron - ChevronTexaco, Chevron

BP remains in Top 7 as of 2012 (6)

Government (Middle East, China) Owned Companies in Top 102

Work Cited

This PowerPoint Presentation was based on my reading and comprehension of Anthony Sampson’s The Seven Sisters.

Sampson, A. (1976). The seven sisters: The great oil companies and the world they shaped. (Bantam ed.). New York, NY: Bantam Books, Inc.

The information on the oil companies post 1976 (after the book was published) used in this presentation was retrieved from the following site:

1,2- Helman, C. (2012, July 16). The world's 25 biggest oil companies. Forbes, Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mef45gkei/not-just-the-usual-suspects/