James Leonard Pate (1935–2003) was former board chairman and chief executive officer of the Pennzoil-Quaker State Co. and assistant secretary of commerce and economic spokesman for U.S. President Gerald Ford.

Biography

Born on Sept. 6, 1935, in Mount Sterling, Ill., Pate grew up on a farm in Monmouth, Ill. He earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree at Monmouth College Illinois (1963), and

master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

and

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

degree in business-economics from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

at Bloomington. From 1953 to 1961, Pate served in the Army (

Airborne Airborne or Airborn may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis * ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film * ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...

), becoming a master parachutist. He received a direct commission in 1960. His final assignment was with the

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

. Pate's early career included service as professor of

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

at Monmouth College in Illinois, senior economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Ohio, and chief economist for the B.F. Goodrich Co. in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

. For 15 months beginning in 1974, Pate as assistant secretary of commerce was one of U.S. President Ford's chief economic spokesmen. During that period he also was chief economist for the

U.S. Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth ...

. In 1976 he became special adviser to Ford, serving as the administration's "point man" on consumer problems during his three months in that job. Pate joined

Pennzoil Pennzoil is an American motor oil brand currently owned by Shell plc. The former Pennzoil Company had been established in 1913 in Pennsylvania, being active in business as an independent firm until it was acquired by Shell in 2002, becoming a bra ...

in 1976 after

James A. Baker III James Addison Baker III (born April 28, 1930) is an American attorney, diplomat and statesman. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 10th White House Chief of Staff and 67th United States Secretary of the Treasury under President ...

, the future U.S. Secretary of State, recommended him to the chairman of the company's board. Pate became Pennzoil's first chief economist. He served as president of Pennzoil Company from 1990 to 1997, chief executive officer from 1990 until 1999 and as chairman of the board from 1994 to 1999. His association with the company ended in 2002 with its acquisition by

Shell Oil Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New Yor ...

Products US, an affiliate of the

Royal Dutch Shell Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New Yo ...

Group of Companies. Pate served as a director and chairman of the board of directors of

Devon Energy Corporation Devon Energy Corporation is an energy company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration in the United States. It is organized in Delaware and its corporate operative headquarters are in the 50-story Devon Energy Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Its ...

beginning in 1999. Pate also authored or co-authored three books and numerous articles in professional journals. He was inducted into the Monmouth College Hall of Achievement in 1992. He was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

. Pate died on January 18, 2003, and was entombed in Forest Park Westheimer Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pate, James Leonard Monmouth College alumni Monmouth College faculty 1935 births 2003 deaths American Presbyterians