William Stamps Farish II

William Stamps Farish II
Born	(1881-02-23) February 23, 1881 Mayersville, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	November 29, 1942(1942-11-29) (aged 61) Millbrook, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Oil industry executive
Known for	President of Standard Oil; founding member and president of the American Petroleum Institute; development of East Texas oilfields

William Stamps Farish II (February 23, 1881 – November 29, 1942) was a trailblazer in the development of East Texas oilfields, served as president of Standard Oil, and was both a founding member and president of the American Petroleum Institute. He was part of the prominent Farish family.

Early life

Born in Mayersville, Mississippi to William Stamps Farish I (1843–1899) and Katherine Maude Power (1860–1931), Farish was the grandnephew of Jefferson Davis. His education included attendance at St. Thomas Hall, an Episcopal preparatory institution in Holly Springs, Mississippi, established by Reverend Francis Lister Hawks.

Career

After receiving his law degree from the University of Mississippi in 1900, Farish briefly practiced law before relocating to Beaumont, Texas following the Spindletop oil strike. He took on the role of well supervisor for Texas Oil Fields, Limited, a British consortium. In 1901, he co-established the Brown-Farish Oil Company, focusing on contract drilling and oil trading. Following Brown's passing and the company's insolvency, Farish secured financing to settle outstanding debts. By 1904, he had joined forces with Robert Lee Blaffer in contract drilling and lease negotiations, moving to Houston in 1905 to be nearer to the Humble oil field.

In 1915, Farish assumed the presidency of the Gulf Coast Producers Association and later led the Texas-Louisiana Oil and Gas Association. He played a key role in founding the Humble Oil and Refining Company in 1917, where he served as vice president responsible for production and technological innovation. In 1918, he raised Humble's national prominence through involvement with the Petroleum Committee of the Council for National Defense. Confronted with capital constraints for expansion, Farish negotiated with Walter Teagle of Standard Oil of New Jersey (later known as Exxon) to sell a controlling interest in Humble for $17 million in 1919. This alliance provided essential funding to construct one of the largest refineries worldwide in Baytown, Texas.

Farish held the vice presidency for five years before ascending to Humble's presidency in 1922. Although integrated with Jersey Standard, Humble retained considerable independence as its largest operating division. In 1926, he co-founded and served as president of the American Petroleum Institute, advocating for oil conservation efforts. He advanced to chairman of the board at Standard Oil Company of New Jersey in 1933 and became its president by 1937. At the onset of World War II, Farish was part of the National Petroleum Industry War Council.

World War II controversy

Farish played a significant role in a collaboration between Standard Oil/General Motors’ Ethyl Gasoline Corporation and German firm I.G. Farben. This partnership, known as Ethyl GmbH, was instrumental in establishing the Auschwitz labor camp in 1940 for synthetic rubber production from coal and operated tetraethyllead manufacturing facilities within Germany.

On March 25, 1942, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Thurman Arnold revealed that Farish and other Standard Oil executives entered "no contest" pleas to charges of criminal conspiracy with Nazi authorities. Under a plea agreement, charges were dropped after Standard Oil surrendered its German patents and paid fines totaling approximately $50,000.

Farish personally received a $1,000 fine while Standard Oil and its subsidiaries were fined $5,000 each. Despite this legal outcome, Farish earned millions as a principal shareholder and executive at Standard Oil. Senator Harry Truman publicly condemned him for benefiting financially from Nazi wartime activities while withholding critical patents from U.S. authorities.

Lazy F Ranch

The Lazy F Ranch in Texas was established by William Stamps Farish II. Following his passing in 1942, the ranch's operations were overseen by his widow and daughter, Martha F. Gerry. Under the banner of Lazy F, Gerry was responsible for breeding and racing several distinguished Thoroughbred horses, most notably Forego, who raced between 1973 and 1978. Forego earned the title of United States Horse of the Year three times and was inducted into the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame. The Blood-Horse magazine ranked him eighth among the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century.

Personal life

On June 1, 1911, Farish wed Libbie Randon Rice in Houston. Libbie descended from notable historical lineages, including those of President Zachary Taylor and Jefferson Davis. The couple had two children:

• William Stamps Farish Jr., who served in the United States Air Force during World War II and was the father of William Stamps Farish III (born 1939).
• Martha F. Gerry (1918–2007), who married Edward Harriman Gerry in 1939; Edward was a descendant of railroad magnate E. H. Harriman.

Farish resided in Houston's Shadyside neighborhood, a community developed by his friend Joseph S. Cullinan.

William Stamps Farish II passed away at age 61 on November 29, 1942, in Millbrook, New York, and was interred in Houston. In 1929, he founded W. S. Farish Co., which managed family assets valued at $400 million according to Forbes in 1992. Among these assets is the Farish Fund foundation, which supports various philanthropic endeavors. The company continues to operate in Houston under the stewardship of his grandson, Will III.

See also

• William Stamps Farish III (grandson)
• William Stamps Farish IV (great grandson)