Henry Logan Brandon (April 22, 1923 – June 21, 1997) was an American Naval Aviator and attorney. He sat on the Board of Directors of

Unocal Corporation Union Oil Company of California, and its holding company Unocal Corporation, together known as Unocal was a major petroleum explorer and marketer in the late 19th century, through the 20th century, and into the early 21st century. It was headqu ...

of California, and was the company's Vice President of International Development. He also sat on the board of directors of

Union Oil Union Oil Company of California, and its holding company Unocal Corporation, together known as Unocal was a major petroleum explorer and marketer in the late 19th century, through the 20th century, and into the early 21st century. It was headqu ...

in Dahomey (now

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

), West Africa.

Background and family

Henry Logan Brandon was born in Moore County, Tennessee, on April 22, 1923. He died on June 21, 1997, in Pasadena, California.

World War II

Henry L. Brandon enlisted November 19, 1942, and trained at the Naval Air Primary Training Command 1943. He served as a Naval Aviator from 1945 to 1948. Qualified for carrier landings on an FM-2 Wildcat on the , off

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

. Went through gunnery training on an FG-1D Corsair at US

Naval Air Station Alameda Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) was a United States Navy Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, on San Francisco Bay. NAS Alameda had two runways: 13–31 measuring and 07-25 measuring . Two helicopter pads and a control tower were ...

. Joined Corsair Fighter-Bomber Squadron VBF-82 in preparation for Operation Downfall. After his discharge from the Navy he attended the

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , ...

, and

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

, where he earned a Juris Doctor.

International business career with Union Oil

During his time with the

, Brandon worked as the company's general manager in Cuba and Guatemala. In 1961 he became the company's Vice President of International Development. That year he participated in Union's entry into the Indonesian oil market, writing a "contract of work" arrangement, which was a first for Indonesia. In a speech on Indonesian Independence Day in August, 1961, then President Sukarno talked at some length about "production sharing", which included some of Brandon's suggestions.Taylor, F. (1976). Unearthing Buried Riches. In Sign of the 76: The fabulous life and times of the Union Oil Company of California. (1st ed., Vol. 1, p. 362). Los Angeles: Union Oil Company of California. As Vice President of International Development, he negotiated Unocal's entry into the UAE oil market. In the 1960s, he met extensively with

Saqr bin Mohammad Al Qasimi Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi ( ar, صقر بن محمد القاسمي; c. 1918–1920 – 27 October 2010) was the Ruler of Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah from 1948 to 2010. On 10 February 1972, under his leadership, Ras Al Khaimah become ...

, the Emir of

Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) ( ar, رَأْس ٱلْخَيْمَة, historically Julfar) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is the sixth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain ...

, to craft the legal agreement between his country and

. In 1969 he became Vice President, and a member of the Board of Directors of Union Oil Company of Dahomey, West Africa.

Footnotes

*Taylor, F. (1976). Unearthing Buried Riches. In ''Sign of the 76: The fabulous life and times of the Union Oil Company of California''. (1st ed., Vol. 1, p. 362). Los Angeles:

Union Oil Company of California Union Oil Company of California, and its holding company Unocal Corporation, together known as Unocal was a major petroleum explorer and marketer in the late 19th century, through the 20th century, and into the early 21st century. It was headqu ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brandon, Henry American business executives Southern Methodist University alumni 1923 births 1997 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War II Vanderbilt University alumni