Jake Simmons
Joseph Jacob Simmons Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 17, 1901 Near Haskell, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | March 24, 1981 (aged 80) |
| Occupation(s) | Oil broker, entrepreneur |
| Known for | First African American appointed to the National Petroleum Council; pioneering African-American oil industry entrepreneur |
Joseph Jacob Simmons Jr. (January 17, 1901 – March 24, 1981) was a distinguished African-American figure in the oil industry, recognized as one of the most accomplished black entrepreneurs within petroleum. As an international oil broker, he collaborated with Phillips Petroleum Company and Signal Oil and Gas Company to develop oil reserves in Liberia, Nigeria, and Ghana. In 1969, Simmons achieved the distinction of becoming the first African American appointed to the National Petroleum Council.
Early life
Simmons was born near the area that later became Haskell, Oklahoma, as the ninth child among ten siblings. His great-grandfather had been enslaved under the Creek Indians but eventually rose to become a chief and advocate for freed Creek slaves. Simmons grew up working on his father’s ranch and by age ten had already set his sights on a career in the oil industry.
Inspired by Booker T. Washington during a visit to his family’s ranch, Simmons pursued education at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, graduating in 1919. There, he absorbed lessons on diligence and leadership crucial for business achievement. After completing his studies, Simmons spent some time living in Detroit before returning to Oklahoma, where he remarried.
Oil business
As a member of the Creek Nation, Simmons was allotted 160 acres following the tribe’s dissolution. In the 1920s, he leveraged oil discoveries on this land to establish himself as an oil broker and entrepreneur focused on acquiring and trading oil leases. His business interests expanded throughout Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Kansas, where he formed connections with prominent industry figures such as William Skelly and Frank Phillips.
Throughout the Great Depression, Simmons played a key role in facilitating land sales from Oklahoma farmland to African Americans in East Texas who had benefited from oil wealth. Together with his sons and L. W. Thomas of Summit, Oklahoma, he founded Simmons Royalty Co., which diversified into cattle ranching and insurance services.
In the 1960s, Simmons served as a mediator in multimillion-dollar deals between major American oil corporations and emerging African nations, bolstering his standing on the global petroleum stage. His 1969 appointment to the National Petroleum Council represented a groundbreaking achievement for African Americans within the sector.
Civil rights
Simmons firmly opposed racial prejudice and instilled in his children a strong conviction of their equal worth. He believed that employment was essential for economic empowerment among African Americans, providing training through his enterprises and assisting workers in obtaining positions elsewhere. He famously remarked, "It is a waste of life for a man to fail to achieve when he has the opportunity."
In 1938, Simmons initiated one of the early legal challenges against school segregation that eventually reached the Supreme Court. He also held leadership roles as president of both the Oklahoma NAACP and the Negro Business League.
Family
Simmons’ son J. J. "Jake" III held the position of vice president within the family enterprise before serving at the Interior Department during President Kennedy’s administration; he later became undersecretary during Reagan’s first term and was appointed to the Interstate Commerce Commission in subsequent years. Donald worked as an economist managing Simmons Royalty Company; Blanche pursued a career in social work; while Kenneth earned a Harvard degree and became an architecture professor at UC Berkeley.
External links
- Staking a Claim: Jake Simmons and the Making of an African-American Oil Dynasty available on amazon.com