Waite Phillips

Who was Waite Phillips?

Waite Phillips was an American petroleum businessman who created a fully integrated operation that combined petroleum producing, refining and marketing. With headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he also developed several office complexes and engaged in banking and ranching. Phillips was a philanthropist for both local Tulsa institutions and national causes. In Tulsa he built a 72-room mansion for his residence, which he later donated to the city; it became the Philbrook Museum of Art. He gave 127,000 acres of his favorite ranch in New Mexico to the Boy Scouts of America, together with an office building as part of its endowment. He made a substantial bequest to the University of Southern California which named a building after him.