Archie Wallace Dunham (born December 20, 1938) served as president and chief executive officer of

Conoco Inc. Conoco Inc. ( ) was an American oil and gas company that operated from 1875 until 2002, when it merged with Phillips Petroleum to form ConocoPhillips. Founded by Isaac Elder Blake in 1875 as the "Continental Oil and Transportation Company". Cur ...

from January 1996 to August 2002, then as chairman of

ConocoPhillips ConocoPhillips Company is an American multinational corporation engaged in hydrocarbon exploration and production. It is based in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas. The company has operations in 15 countries and has production in ...

, following the merger of Conoco Inc. and Phillips Petroleum Company, until his retirement on September 30, 2004. Dunham is also Chairman Emeritus of Chesapeake Energy.

Early life and education

Dunham grew up in Oklahoma. After earning a bachelor's degree in geological engineering from the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

in 1960, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

. Dunham served four years in the Marines, then returned to the University of Oklahoma to complete an MBA in 1966.

Career

Archie Dunham joined

in 1966 and subsequently held a number of commercial and managerial positions within Conoco and E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company ("DuPont"). Dunham served as senior vice president of polymers and executive vice president of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Conoco's former parent, from 1995 to October 1998. Dunham served as executive vice president of exploration production and executive vice president of refining, marketing, supply and transportation for Conoco. He served as chairman, president, and CEO of Conoco Inc. (integrated energy company) from August 1999 to August 2002 and also served as chairman of ConocoPhillips (integrated energy company) from August 2002, following the merger of Conoco Inc. and Phillips Petroleum Company, until his retirement on September 30, 2004. Dunham was previously a board director of

DuPont DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...

, Phelps Dodge,

Pride International Pride International, Inc. was an offshore oil drilling company headquartered in Houston, Texas. As of February 2011, it operated 26 drilling rigs. In May 2011, it was acquired by Ensco (now Valaris Limited). History The company was founded in 196 ...

, Union Pacific and Louisiana-Pacific. He was past Chairman of the United States Energy Association, the National Petroleum Council and the National Association of Manufacturers. Dunham is also a member of the board of visitors at the University of Oklahoma. He was a director of 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 pet ...

, the U.S.–Russia Business Council and the Greater Houston Partnership. He served on the board of the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston, the board of visitors of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the board of trustees of the Houston Symphony, the George Bush Presidential Library, and the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

. He served as a trustee of

Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is an American opera company located in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1955 by German-born impresario Walter Herbert and three local Houstonians,Giesberg, Robert I., Carl Cunningham, and Alan Rich. ''Houston Grand Opera at ...

and was a member of The Business Council and The

Business Roundtable The Business Roundtable (BRT) is a nonprofit lobbyist association based in Washington, D.C. whose members are chief executive officers of major United States companies. Unlike the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, whose members are entire businesses, BRT ...

. He was also a former member of the

Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank AG (), sometimes referred to simply as Deutsche, is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Sto ...

advisory board of directors. In 2012, Dunham was appointed Independent Non-executive chairman of Chesapeake Energy as part of changes to the board of directors following concerns about loans and other corporate governance issues made under the watch of former CEO and chairman

Aubrey McClendon Aubrey Kerr McClendon (July 14, 1959 – March 2, 2016) was an American businessman and the founder and chief executive officer of American Energy Partners, LP. He also co-founded Chesapeake Energy, serving as its CEO and chairman. He was an out ...

.Joe Carroll
"Chesapeake Appoints Dunham Chairman, Stripping McClendon"
''

Bloomberg Businessweek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...

'', June 21, 2012. Dunham retired from the Chesapeake Energy board on May 17, 2019.

Marriage and children

Archie and Linda Dunham married in 1960. The couple have three children: Steven, Laura, and Cary.

Awards

*1996: Inducted into the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering as "distinguished graduate.
Distinguished Graduates Society
*1998 Community Partners Houston Father of the Year *1998: Inducted into Oklahoma Hall of Fame *1999: Honorary Doctorate in humane letters from the University of Oklahoma. *2000: New York Mercantile Exchange award for CEO of the Year for Global Vision in Energy *2000: International Achievement Award by B'nai B'rith *2001: Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans *2001: Ellis Island Medal of Honor *2003: Honorary Doctorate in humane letters from Houston Baptist University *2004: Greater Houston Partnership International Executive of the Year *2005: John Rogers Award *2006: Inducted into Offshore Energy Center Hall of Fame *2010: Houston Baptist University Spirit of Excellence Award *2011: U.S. Marine Corps Globe and Anchor Award *2014: Houston Baptist University President's Award *2017: University of Oklahoma Trailblazer Award *2018: Houston Baptist University Founders Medal

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunham, Archie W. 1938 births Living people American chief executives of energy companies ConocoPhillips people United States Marine Corps officers University of Oklahoma alumni