Albert Lindsay Nickerson Jr. (January 17, 1911 – August 7, 1994) was an American business executive. He served as the
chairman and CEO
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
of
Mobil Oil
Mobil is a petroleum brand owned and operated by American oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil. The brand was formerly owned and operated by an oil and gas corporation of the same name, which itself merged with Exxon to form ExxonMobil in 1999.
...
Nickerson was born in Dedham, Massachusetts, on January 17, 1911, to Albert Lindsay Nickerson and Christine Nickerson (née Atkinson). In 1929, Nickerson graduated from the
Noble and Greenough School
The Noble and Greenough School, commonly known as Nobles, is a coeducational, nonsectarian day and five-day boarding school for students in grades seven through twelve. It is near Boston on a campus that borders the Charles River in Dedham, Massa ...
, the main building of which had been constructed as the residence of his grandfather Albert W. Nickerson. He graduated from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
in 1933 with a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
degree.
Business career
Nickerson began working at a Socony (later Mobil) gasoline station in 1933. He became station manager in 1934 and salesman in 1936. In 1943, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Nickerson was the director of the placement bureau of the
War Manpower Commission
The War Manpower Commission was a World War II agency of the United States Government charged with planning to balance the labor needs of agriculture, industry and the armed forces.
History
The Commission was created by President Franklin D. ...
.
At Socony, Nickerson eventually rose to become the company's president in 1955, replacing Brewster Jennings. He stayed as president until November 1, 1961, when he was succeeded by Herbert Willetts. He then served as CEO from 1958 to November 1, 1961, and CEO and chairman from November 1, 1961, to 1969 when the company changed its name to Mobil.
Nickerson served as chairman of
Harvard Board of Overseers The Harvard Board of Overseers (more formally The Honorable and Reverend the Board of Overseers) is one of Harvard University's two governing boards. Although its function is more consultative and less hands-on than the President and Fellows of Harv ...
Nickerson married Elizabeth Perkins on June 13, 1936; they had four children: Christine, Albert, Elizabeth and Victoria. Nickerson was awarded the gold medal by the
American Petroleum Institute
The American Petroleum Institute (API) is the largest U.S. trade association for the oil and natural gas industry. It claims to represent nearly 600 corporations involved in production, refinement, distribution, and many other aspects of the ...
Doctor of Law
A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL ...
by Hofstra University on June 7, 1964. Nickerson died on August 7, 1994, in
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...