Burl Stevens Watson Sr. (7 November 1893 – 16 August 1975) was the president and CEO of

Cities Service Company Citgo Petroleum Corporation (or Citgo, stylized as CITGO) is a United States–based refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. Headquartered in the Energy Corridor area o ...

during parts of the 1950s and 1960s. He became president in 1954 and was chairman of the board and CEO beginning in 1962, taking the place of W. Alton Jones, who died in the crash of

American Airlines Flight 1 American Airlines Flight 1 may refer to: * American Airlines Flight 1 (1936), an accident involving a Douglas DC-2 * American Airlines Flight 1 (1941), an accident involving a Douglas DC-3 * American Airlines Flight 1 (1962), an accident involving ...

. Watson was extremely influential as the leader of one of the largest oil companies in the United States. He was quoted often in newspaper and magazine publications on his views on the status of the petroleum industry and served as a national leader of the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

and

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

. Watson served for many years as the director of the American Petroleum Institute. Born in the small town of

Lincoln, Alabama Lincoln is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1911. At the 2020 census, the population was 6,845. It was named for Major General Benjamin Lincoln, who served in the American army during the Revolutionary ...

, to farmer Byron Alexander Stephens Watson, he was the first graduate of Lincoln High School and went on to the University of Alabama, where he majored in electrical engineering. There is a scholarship in his name at Alabama to this day due to a donation he made to the university, which was later enhanced by Cities Service Company. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Alabama in 1957. After serving in the Army Engineer Corps during World War I, he rose through the ranks of the large corporation, eventually moving to New York City and working at the corporate office. He married Emitom Burns, daughter of state senator and agricultural innovator Robert Burns. They had two children, including Burl Stevens Watson Jr. who went on to become director of corporate finance of Cities Service Company. Burl Sr. had an oil tanker named after him, the ''Burl S. Watson'', which was built at the Sörviksvarvet A/B shipyard at

Uddevalla, Sweden Uddevalla (old no, Oddevold) is a town and the seat of Uddevalla Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. In 2015, it had a population of 34 781. It is located at a bay of the south-eastern part of Skagerrak. The beaches of Uddevalla are ...

, being released for duty in 1961. He died in 1975 in Port Washington, New York, at the age of 81.

References

External links

"Business: Personal File: Sep. 1, 1961"
'' Time''. September 1, 1961.
The ship ''W. Alton Jones'' and the ship ''Burl S. Watson''Lincoln, Alabama, website, citing Burl S. Watson as notable graduate

Cities Service Ends Joint Venture with Conoco

Note the large Cities Service advertisement on page two, with Burl S. Watson as president

Burl S. Watson inducting Billy Graham into the New York Southerners' Society

Note that CITGO was the 19th largest oil company in the United States by 1982
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Burl S 1893 births 1975 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople People from Talladega County, Alabama