Forrest Lucas (born February 1942) is an American businessman, the founder of
Lucas Oil
Lucas Oil Products, Inc. is an American manufacturer and distributor of motor oil, automotive oil, Oil additive, additives, and Lubricant#Application by fluid types, lubricants. It was founded by trucker Forrest Lucas and his wife Charlotte in ...
.
Early life
Lucas was born in February 1942, in
Ramsey, Indiana
Ramsey is an unincorporated community in Jackson Township, Harrison County, in the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 S ...
, where he grew up, the eldest of four children. His parents Raymond and Marie had a small farm in
Elkinsville, where he and his three sisters lived in "rural deprivation".
He was educated to a high school level.
Career
Lucas bought his first truck when he was 19, and his first
semi-trailer
A semi-trailer is a trailer without a front axle. In the United States, the term is also used to refer to the combination of a truck and a semi-trailer; a tractor-trailer.
A large proportion of a semi-trailer's weight is supported by a tracto ...
at 21.
He got a job with
Mayflower Transit. He built up a fleet of 13-14 trucks, and started
freight
Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including transp ...
brokerage. Following the deregulation of freight in 1980, he was the first to get a full licence to deliver freight in 48 states.
In 1988, he founded
Lucas Oil
Lucas Oil Products, Inc. is an American manufacturer and distributor of motor oil, automotive oil, Oil additive, additives, and Lubricant#Application by fluid types, lubricants. It was founded by trucker Forrest Lucas and his wife Charlotte in ...
.
In 2018, he founded
Forrest Films, a film production company.
Protect the Harvest
Lucas is a founder of Protect the Harvest, a
nonprofit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
which opposes "the radical
animal rights
Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...
movement" and particularly the
Humane Society of the United States
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is an American nonprofit organization that focuses on animal welfare and opposes animal-related cruelties of national scope. It uses strategies that are beyond the abilities of local organizations. ...
, which it calls "a wealthy and successful attack group".
Personal life
His first wife "couldn't stand to save money ... she'd spend it as fast as I made it", and they divorced in 1969.
He has been married to Charlotte Lucas since 1982, and they have seven children.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, Forrest
1942 births
Living people
People from Harrison County, Indiana
Critics of animal rights
* Lucas, Forrest