Jacob Lewis Englehart
Jacob Lewis Englehart | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
| Died | April 1, 1921 (aged 73) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, industrialist, philanthropist |
| Known for | Co-founder of Imperial Oil; chairman of Temiskaming and North Ontario Railway commission |
Jacob Lewis Englehart (November 2, 1847 – April 1, 1921) was a prominent Canadian-American entrepreneur, industrialist, and philanthropist. He played a key role in founding Imperial Oil in 1880 as a strategic response to the expanding influence of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil. Englehart emerged as one of the foremost oil refiners in 19th-century Canada and supervised the completion of the Temiskaming and North Ontario Railway.
Early life
Englehart was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and relocated to New York in 1860, where he worked as a salesman for Sonneborn, Dryfoos and Company. Legal complications led him to move to Canada in 1866. Supported by investors from New York, he established a refinery in London that produced kerosene from oil obtained at Oil Springs, Ontario and Petrolia, Ontario. Besides refining, he acted as an intermediary exporting kerosene to markets in Europe and Asia. In an effort to dominate Canadian refining operations and increase kerosene prices, he collaborated with Chicago Judge Ebenezer Higgins to lease 52 refineries across Ontario; however, this initiative failed within six months. Subsequently, Englehart entered a profitable refining venture with Herman and Issac Waterman until the market was disrupted by the Panic of 1873 and new oil discoveries in Pennsylvania. In 1874, he sold his London refinery to the London Refining Company.
Following a two-year hiatus from the oil sector, Englehart joined forces with Issac Guggenheim in 1876 to purchase and renovate the defunct Carbon Oil refinery located in Petrolia, rebranding it as the Silver Star Refinery. He selected Petrolia due to the prohibitive shipping expenses on the Great Western Railway, which made local refining more cost-effective. The town granted him a five-year tax exemption to facilitate the refinery’s construction.
The Silver Star Refinery commenced operations in January 1879 as Canada’s largest and most technologically advanced facility of its kind. It housed state-of-the-art equipment capable of processing more than 1,800 barrels daily and maintained storage capacity for 100,000 barrels. The site included barrel manufacturing and tin-can production units designed for exporting refined oil to destinations such as India, China, Japan, Central America, and South America. Supporting infrastructure featured a boiler house, engine house, waterworks with a 5,000-barrel tank, and its own firefighting team. Employing over 500 workers, it was Petrolia’s primary employer until its closure in 1898. Englehart enforced strict safety protocols to minimize explosion risks.
In 1882, he partnered with John Henry Fairbank and other Petrolia entrepreneurs to create the Crown Savings and Loan Company.
Distinguished by his impeccable attire, Englehart was a notable figure amid Ennskillen’s industrializing community.
Imperial Oil
In April 1880, Englehart joined sixteen prominent refiners from London and Petrolia to establish Imperial Oil as a countermeasure against Standard Oil’s increasing market control. His objective was to unify Canada’s oil refining industry in a manner similar to Rockefeller's consolidation strategy in the United States. Imperial Oil was incorporated as a Joint Stock Company with an initial capital of $500,000, controlling twelve refineries that accounted for approximately 85% of Canadian refining capacity. The company’s mandate encompassed exploration, production, refining, and distribution of petroleum throughout Canada. Englehart held about one-fifth of the shares—making him the largest individual shareholder—and served as vice president.
To regulate output and elevate kerosene prices, Imperial Oil shut down all but two refineries: Silver Star in Petrolia and one located in London. After lightning destroyed the London facility, all refining activities were centralized at Petrolia.
Although Imperial Oil experienced revenue growth during the 1890s, it lacked sufficient funds to compete effectively with Standard Oil’s Canadian affiliates. In 1895, an attempt by Imperial’s board to sell majority ownership to Britain’s Colonial Development Corporation for $585,000 failed. Instead, Imperial divested 75% of its shares to Standard Oil. This transaction included Imperial acquiring Standard Oil’s Canadian subsidiaries; increased company capitalization to $1 million; and distribution of $93,000 dividends to shareholders. Following this acquisition, Standard Oil closed the Silver Star refinery and transferred refining operations to Sarnia. Englehart continued serving on Imperial Oil’s board until his passing in 1921.
Temiskaming and North Ontario Railway
In 1905, Ontario Premier James Whitney appointed Englehart to aid in the development of the Temiskaming and North Ontario Railway. Englehart held the position of commission chairman from 1905 until 1920, managing the railroad's construction to completion. His transition from oil ventures to railway projects surprised many residents of Petrolia, who regarded it as a "betrayal" during a period of tariff disputes. In recognition of his contributions, the community of Englehart was named after him in 1908.
After a devastating fire in 1911 destroyed camps and settlements along the railway route, Englehart spearheaded relief fundraising for displaced workers and their families. He famously displayed a sign at the Englehart train station declaring: "No one need pass here hungry, J.L Englehart."
Marriage and children
In 1891, Englehart wed Charlotte Eleanor Thompson at Petrolia's Christ Anglican Church. Together they constructed Glenview, a stately red-brick residence, where Charlotte played an active role in local affairs. She expressed in her will that their home should be converted into a hospital following their passing.
After sixteen years without children, Charlotte became pregnant in 1908 but tragically passed away on New Year’s Eve due to complications related to the pregnancy.
Philanthropy
In 1910, Englehart gifted tower bells to Petrolia’s Christ Anglican Church. When the church succumbed to fire in 1957, only the tower and these bells remained intact.
Following Charlotte’s death in 1908, Englehart donated their Glenview mansion to Petrolia for use as a hospital. Named the Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital, he provided an endowment of $36,000 in Imperial Oil shares, which supported its operations for more than five decades. The hospital continues to serve the community today.
Death and afterward
Englehart passed away from a brain hemorrhage on April 1, 1921, at Wellesley Hospital in Toronto. His funeral was held at Christ Anglican Church in Petrolia and was attended by hundreds of residents; local businesses closed as a mark of respect.
Honours, decorations, awards and distinctions
In July 2016, the Jack Munroe Historical Society of Elk City posthumously honored Englehart with the Order of the North for his instrumental role in advancing the Temiskaming and North Ontario Railway.
Within Petrolia, both a park and a street have been named to commemorate him.