Max Whittier
Mericos "Max" Whittier | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1867-03-11 Aroostook County, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | 1925 |
| Occupation(s) | Oil industry pioneer, businessman |
| Known for | Development of California oil fields; co-founder of Belridge Oil Company; contributor to establishment of Beverly Hills |
Mericos "Max" Whittier (1867–1925) was a trailblazer in California's nascent oil sector, instrumental in the exploitation of three of the state's major billion-barrel deposits: Kern River, Midway-Sunset, and South Belridge. Together with his associate Burton Green and other collaborators, he also significantly contributed to the establishment of Beverly Hills.
Early life
Max Whittier was born on March 11, 1867, in the rural area of Aroostook County, Maine. He was the son of Charles G. Whittier and Ruth Keech, who were engaged in potato farming. His father had served and sustained injuries during the Battle of Gettysburg in the Civil War. The family lived in Aroostook during a period when the state encouraged northern settlement by providing affordable land under certain labor conditions.
Ruth Keech Whittier recounted the economic difficulties faced in the region during the 1860s, highlighting the scarcity of cash wages and a dependence on barter systems involving livestock and agricultural products. Earnings were modest—men earned between twenty and thirty dollars monthly, while women received less than a dollar weekly—and monetary resources were particularly limited following the outbreak of the Civil War.
Career
At age 23, equipped with $25 and a new suit, Whittier ventured westward in 1890, settling in Santa Paula, California. He initially found employment as a laborer in lemon orchards before joining the newly established Union Oil Company as a roughneck in 1891. In 1892, he partnered with Thomas A. O'Donnell to launch Hardly Able Oil Company; however, their shallow well did not yield oil, resulting in financial difficulties.
Los Angeles Oil Field
After Edward Doheny's successful drilling in 1892, O'Donnell & Whittier Drilling Contractors expanded operations southward to provide wildcat drilling services for landowners eager to benefit from the boom at the Los Angeles Oil Field.
Kern River Oil Field
Away from Los Angeles' urban environment, Kern County emerged as an attractive oil-producing area following the discovery of oil at a depth of 70 feet along the Kern River in 1899. Max Whittier partnered with Burton Green and invested his entire life savings of $13,000 to purchase land parcels that would become some of California's most lucrative oil properties. Whittier recalled the rapid escalation of land values during this boom, noting an increase from $2.50 to $5,000 per acre within just over a year. He chose to maintain ownership rather than liquidate his assets—a decision that ultimately proved highly profitable.
By 1903, Kern River had become California’s leading oil field and currently ranks as the seventh largest on the U.S. mainland.
Associated Oil Company
By 1901, properties owned by Green & Whittier were producing thousands of barrels daily; however, declining oil prices—from $1.00 down to $0.12 per barrel—posed challenges for independent operators. To sustain competitiveness, the five principal producers in Kern River consolidated into Associated Oil Company. Max Whittier became its largest shareholder while Burton Green assumed the role of treasurer. By 1904, Associated Oil was responsible for producing four million barrels annually—accounting for 14% of California’s total output.
In an effort to control transportation and compete with Standard Oil’s dominance, Associated Oil acquired a pipeline connecting Kern County to Monterey in 1906 and constructed a 282-mile pipeline extending to Port Costa by 1907. The Southern Pacific Railroad secured majority ownership by 1910. In 1926, Associated Oil merged with Tidewater Petroleum to form Tidewater Associated Oil Company.
Belridge Oil Company
A significant milestone in Max Whittier’s professional journey was the establishment of the Belridge Oil Company in 1911. Following a discovery of an oil seep between Coalinga and Bakersfield by an associate, Whittier and four partners, including Burton Green, acquired a 33,000-acre tract for $1 million.
Operations commenced on March 11, 1911, utilizing wooden derricks combined with steam-powered cable tools for drilling. Initial output was modest; however, by 1919 the Southern Belridge Field was declared fully developed, with projected reserves estimated at 1.8 million barrels. The field experienced revitalization in the 1930s through the introduction of steel derricks and rotary drilling rigs that allowed deeper wells, and again during the 1960s when steam injection methods enhanced heavy oil recovery.
Belridge Oil Company maintained control of the field until its acquisition by Shell Oil in 1979 for $3.65 billion, marking the largest corporate purchase in U.S. history at that time. Peak daily production hit 186,000 barrels in 1986, and by 1995 cumulative output from South Belridge exceeded one billion barrels, ranking it sixth within California and fifteenth across the nation.
By 2012, total oil extraction surpassed 1.6 billion barrels with an estimated six billion barrels still recoverable. Over 25,000 wells have been drilled on the property, featuring the world's tightest well spacing at approximately 11.5 meters vertically and horizontally. Since 2005, more than 700 wells have been completed annually to optimize recovery using cutting-edge technologies.
Rodeo Land and Water Company
Whittier held a prominent role as a major shareholder and board member of Rodeo Land and Water Company, which possessed 3,100 acres in what later became Beverly Hills. His portfolio also included substantial stakes in Amalgamated Oil Company, Titicaca Oil Company, Inca Oil Company, as well as various holdings in Oklahoma. Furthermore, he acquired extensive land in Lost Hills and played a key role in organizing Belridge Oil Company’s assets there.
In 1935, Whittier’s family founded the Whittier Trust Company, a state-chartered firm specializing in wealth management and multi-family office services.
The Whittier Mansion
Located on a 3.6-acre estate along Sunset Boulevard, the Whittier Mansion gained notoriety after its acquisition in 1978 by Saudi Sheik Mohammed al Fassi. He controversially redecorated the Spanish-style residence by painting its classical statues—including their genitalia—in flesh tones. This unusual modification transformed the mansion into a local attraction until it suffered severe fire damage in 1980 and was subsequently demolished five years later. The mansion also served as a filming site for The Jerk.