Philip Martin Shannon (September 2, 1846 – November 22, 1915) was an American politician, businessman, millionaire, and soldier who discovered oil in Wyoming.

Life

Philip Martin Shannon was born in 1843, in

Bradford, Pennsylvania Bradford is a city in McKean County, Pennsylvania, McKean County, Pennsylvania. It is located close to the border with New York (state), New York state and approximately south of Buffalo, New York. Bradford is the principal city in the Bradford, ...

and during his childhood he worked on the oil fields during the early

Pennsylvania oil rush The oil rush in America started in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in the Oil Creek (Allegheny River), Oil Creek Valley when Edwin L. Drake struck "rock oil" there in 1859. Titusville and other towns on the shores of Oil Creek expanded rapidly as oil w ...

. He discovered the Shannon Oil fields, which were named in his honor, in the early 1880s and gained controlling oil interests in Texas and Alabama oil fields. In 1861, he enlisted into the 62nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, but was later honorably discharged in 1862 due to wounds he received from the

Battle of Gaines's Mill A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. In 1874, he was elected as the Burgess of Millerstown and in 1876 ran for a seat in the

Pennsylvania legislature The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvani ...

, but did not receive the Republican nomination at the state convention. On June 18, 1881 he married Hattie M. McIntosh and in 1885, he was elected as mayor of Bradford. In 1884, he visited Wyoming and in 1889, he discovered oil in Wyoming at the

Salt Creek Oil Field The Salt Creek Oil Field is located in Natrona County, Wyoming. By 1970, more oil had been produced by this field than any other in the Rocky Mountains region and accounted for 20 percent of the total production in Wyoming.Barlow and Haun, p. ...

and later built an oil refinery in 1894. In 1900, Harry Oscar Lordon, a veteran of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

, attempted to rob Shannon and was found underneath his bed in the

Waldorf-Astoria hotel The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schultze ...

. On November 22, 1915, he died in his

Duquesne Club The Duquesne Club is a private social club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, founded in 1873. History The Duquesne Club was founded in 1873. Its first president was John H. Ricketson. The club's present home, a Romanesque structure designed by Lon ...

apartment in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shannon, Philip M. 1846 births 1915 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople American businesspeople in the oil industry American company founders American investors Pennsylvania Republicans Mayors of places in Pennsylvania