Burton E. Green
Burton E. Green | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date near Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | May 13, 1965 (aged 96) Los Angeles County, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, real estate developer |
| Known for | Co-founder of Beverly Hills, California; president of Associated Oil Company of California |
Burton Edmond Green (September 6, 1868 – May 13, 1965) was a prominent American entrepreneur in the oil sector and real estate development, playing a crucial role in shaping Beverly Hills, California. He is recognized for naming the city after Beverly Farms in Massachusetts.
Early life
Green was born near Madison, Wisconsin and relocated to California with his family in 1886. He completed his education at Los Angeles High School in 1889.
Career
Beginning his professional journey as an orange cultivator in Redlands, California, Green later transitioned into the oil business. Alongside Max Whittier, he established the Green & Whittier Oil Company, which operated drilling sites in Los Angeles and subsequently near Bakersfield, California. In 1905, this firm merged with others to create the Associated Oil Company of California, where Green served on the board and eventually became president. Additionally, he headed the Bellridge Oil Company, overseeing 32,000 acres within the Lost Hills Oil Field located in Kern County, California.
In 1900, Green collaborated with partners including Whittier and Charles A. Canfield to acquire Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas, initially renaming it Morocco Junction. After unsuccessful attempts at oil extraction, they restructured as the Rodeo Land and Water Company to develop what evolved into Beverly Hills. As president of this company, Green commissioned architects Wilbur David Cook and Myron Hunt to design the city layout. The name choice reflected his connection to Beverly Farms in Massachusetts.
Green was also a significant stakeholder in the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company, which managed 200,000 acres of forest land and windmills in Oregon and was instrumental in founding several local towns.
Personal life
He married Lillian Wellborn (1875–1957), daughter of Judge Olin Wellborn (1848–1921). The couple had three daughters: Dorothy (Dolly), Liliore, and Burton—named after her father. Their daughter Dolly became known for her philanthropic work and horse breeding. The Liliore Green Rains Houses, a large residential complex at Stanford University, honors their second daughter.
The family resided in a Tudor Revival style mansion located at 1601 Lexington Road, north of the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills. Constructed between 1913 and 1914, the Greens retained ownership until the 1960s. Although remodeled multiple times, the house still stands today.
Green was affiliated with several elite clubs such as the California Club, Jonathan Club, and Crags Country Club in Los Angeles, along with the Pacific-Union Club and Bohemian Club in San Francisco. His hobbies included hunting, fishing, golf, and driving at venues like the Los Angeles Country Club, San Francisco Country Club, Bolsa Chica Gun Club, Flat Rock Club in Idaho, and San Ysidro Rancho Co. located in Mexico.
Death
He passed away on May 13, 1965, within Los Angeles County, California.
Legacy
- Burton Way and Greenway Drive in Beverly Hills carry his name.
- The CII Burton E. Green Campus of the Children's Institute Inc. in Torrance, California is named after him.
- The Burton E. Green Professor of Pediatric Neuropathology chair at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, held by Floyd H. Gilles since 1982, honors his legacy.
- Each year, the Burton E. Green Public Policy and Leadership Award is bestowed upon a student from Beverly Hills High School.
Additional resources
- Gross, Michael. Unreal Estate: Money, Ambition and the Lust for Land in Los Angeles (Broadway, 2011).
- Robinson, W.W.. 'Myth-Making in the Los Angeles Area', Southern California Quarterly, Vol. 45, No. 1, March 1963.