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Oil and natural resources

Oil, gas, minerals and land: the families and states that held them, the wells that made fortunes and the heirs who fought over them.

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What do the oil and natural resources estate cases show?

An inheritance split equally among sons left each brother's share exposed to his own divorce, criminal defence and debts. An heir's property bought with state money can be confiscated abroad even while he holds office at home.

Stories
41
Years
690 BCE to 2025
Main regions
North America, Europe, East Asia
Legal traditions
Common law, Civil law
Updated
30 October 2026

Every case in oil and natural resources, best-known first

Best-known first: cases from 1900 on, then the United States, then Europe, and the people most read about on English Wikipedia each month. Fiction, scripture and legend come last.

Map of Texas, marked on the globe1976 · Fort Worth, Texas, USAFort Worth oil heir Cullen Davis was tried for killing his stepdaughter and for hiring a hitman to kill his divorce judge, was acquitted, and later listed $865 million in debtsKenneth W. Davis, a Fort Worth oilman, founded KenDavis Industries International, which made goods for the petroleum industry. He died in 1968 and his estate was split equally among his three sons. His son T.UPI and 4 more42 avenue Foch Paris: 42, avenue Foch, Paris 16e.2021 · Paris, France, and Malabo, Equatorial GuineaEquatorial Guinea's vice president bought a Paris mansion on a minister's salary, France confiscated it, and the UN court refused to stop the saleTeodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, known as Teodorin, is the son of Teodoro Obiang, who had ruled Equatorial Guinea for about 40 years by 2020.NBC News and 4 moreH. L. Hunt: H. L. Hunt (American oil magnate, 1965)2017 · Dallas, Texas, USAAn H. L. Hunt great-grandson took a nine-figure settlement and promised not to contest his father's will, then contested itH. L. Hunt died in 1974 and left trusts for his heirs. In 2007 his great-grandson Albert G. Hill III sued his two sisters and his father, Albert Hill Jr., alleging misadministration of two trusts of which he was a beneficiary.ca5.uscourts.gov and 3 moreWaggoner Ranch Commissary at NHRC in Lubbock, TX IMG 1613: Waggoner Ranch Commissary — at the National Ranching Heritage Center. At Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.1991 · Vernon, Wilbarger County, Texas, USAElectra Waggoner Biggs sued in 1991 to sell her family's oil-and-cattle ranch, and after 25 years a court receiver sold it to Stan KroenkeDaniel Waggoner founded the ranch near Vernon, Texas, in 1852 with 230 longhorn cattle. In 1902 his son W. T. Waggoner found oil while drilling for water. By 1909 W. T.foxnews.com and 2 moreRough cullinan diamond: The rough Cullinan diamond.1953 · Cullinan, Gauteng, South Africa; London, EnglandThe Transvaal bought the largest diamond ever found as a birthday gift for Edward VII, the cutter kept the smaller stones as his fee, and South Africans petition for its returnOn 26 January 1905 the surface manager Frederick Wells found a diamond of 3,106 carats at the Premier No. 2 mine near Pretoria. It was named after the mine's owner, Thomas Cullinan.UK Parliament, Hansard and 3 moreMap of Texas, marked on the globe1987 · Dallas, Texas, USAClint Murchison Jr. inherited an oil fortune, bought the Dallas Cowboys for $550,000, and died $100 million short of his debtsClint Murchison Sr. made a fortune in oil, real estate, construction and railroads in the 1920s and 1930s. His sons Clint Jr. and John inherited it and did business as Murchison Brothers from the late 1940s. In 1960 Clint Jr.UPI and 2 moreOmar Bongo - 1973: Visit of Omar Bongo, President of Gabon, to the CEC on 17 May 1973.2009 · Libreville, Gabon, and Paris and Nantes, FranceOmar Bongo left about 300 billion CFA francs and 54 children; one daughter took his heir's birth certificate to a French court, and France charged at least nine of the childrenOmar Bongo ruled Gabon from 1967 until he died on 8 June 2009. A French judge found that much of the family's money came from "undue commissions" paid by Elf, now part of TotalEnergies, to exploit Gabon's oil.afrik.com and 5 moreCitgo Aruba Oil refinery San Nicolas Aruba: Citgo Aruba Oil Refinery San Nicolas Aruba2025 · Wilmington, Delaware, USA, and Caracas, VenezuelaVenezuela seized foreign oil projects in 2007, and a Delaware judge ordered its US refiner Citgo sold for $5.9 billion to pay the claimsIn 2007 Venezuela expropriated three ConocoPhillips oil projects during Hugo Chávez's nationalisations. A World Bank tribunal (ICSID) awarded ConocoPhillips $8.75 billion, and a US judge upheld the award in August 2022.Al Jazeera and 3 moreAubrey McClendon headshot: Headshot of Aubrey McClendon, CEO of American Energy Partners2016 · Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USAChesapeake founder Aubrey McClendon was indicted for rigging oil lease bids and died in a crash the next day, and the claims moved to his estateAubrey McClendon co-founded Chesapeake Energy with Tom Ward. By 2005 it was the second-largest US natural gas producer.fortune.com and 3 moreShiprock, New Mexico uranium mill aerial photo: Aerial photograph of Shiprock, New Mexico uranium mill tailings pile and surrounding area, 2002. The view is looking toward the sout1990 · Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, USANavajo uranium miners died of radiation, and their widows had to prove marriages made by Navajo custom to collect $100,000From 1944 to 1986 nearly 30 million tons of uranium ore were mined on Navajo land under leases with the Navajo Nation. The mines left 523 abandoned sites. On 15 October 1990 President George H. W.Cornell Law School, LII and 4 moreFerrari 330 America fl: Ferrari 330 America1977 · Beverly Hills, California, and San Antonio, Texas, USAA Beverly Hills oil widow's will told her brother-in-law to bury her in her Ferrari or lose his inheritance, and a court held her to itSandra Ilene West was a Beverly Hills socialite and the widow of Texas oilman Ike West. She died in California in 1977 at about 38.jalopnik.com and 2 moreEkofisk Central 1983: This 1983 photo shows the concrete based Ekofisk central platform1969 · Oslo, Norway, and North Sea block 2/4Phillips Petroleum found Ekofisk on its last required well in 1969, and Norway saved the oil money in a fund for future generationsBy the summer of 1969 Phillips Petroleum's managers in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, had lost faith in Norway after several dry wells. Its licence required one more well, and the rig's day rate had to be paid whether it drilled or not.ekofisk.industriminne.no and 2 moreAnthony Comstock: Anthony Comstock1938 · New York, New York, USA; Harbor Hill, Roslyn, New YorkComstock heir Clarence Mackay cut his daughter out of his will for marrying Irving Berlin, and after her baby died he took her backIn 1873 John Mackay and his partners Fair, Flood and O'Brien opened the Consolidated Virginia mine in Virginia City, Nevada. It produced $61 million.nnbw.com and 2 moreJohn Sutter: John A. Sutter Oval Crop Edit Desat1880 · Washington, D.C., USA; Sacramento, California, USAGold was found on John Sutter's land in 1848, his son built Sacramento on it against his wishes, and he died in a Washington hotel waiting for Congress to pay himIn May 1834 Johann August Sutter left his wife and five children in Burgdorf, Switzerland, to avoid trial over debts, and sailed for New York. In California he became a Mexican citizen in 1840.Wikisource (primary text) and 2 moreMap of United Kingdom, marked on the globe1942 · Burma (Myanmar), and London, UKBritain blew up Burmah Oil's installations in 1942, the House of Lords ruled the Crown must pay, and Parliament passed a law backdated to cancel the debtIn 1942, during the Japanese invasion of Burma, British forces destroyed the Burmah Oil Company's oil installations in Burma so that the advancing Japanese army could not use them.legislation.gov.uk and 2 moreHorace Tabor: Horace Austin Warner Tabor - Brady-Handy1899 · Denver, ColoradoHorace Tabor left his wife for Baby Doe, lost his silver fortune in 1893, and Baby Doe was found frozen at his last mineHorace Tabor was a Colorado storekeeper who struck silver at Leadville. By 1879 he was worth "six million or more dollars", and that September he bought the Matchless Mine.Wikipedia (English) and 2 moreSonangol building - Luanda: Sonangol headquarters building in Luanda, Angola2022 · Luanda, Angola; London, UK; Dubai, UAEAngola's president made his daughter head of the state oil company; his successor fired her, and courts froze her assets in four countriesJosé Eduardo dos Santos ruled Angola for 38 years, until 2017. In June 2016 he appointed his daughter Isabel chair of Sonangol, the state oil company. His successor, João Lourenço, fired her in November 2017.icij.org and 3 moreYukos-azs: Yukos petrol station, Moscow2003 · Moscow, Russia, and The Hague, NetherlandsRussia jailed Yukos owner Mikhail Khodorkovsky and auctioned his oil company for back taxes, and the Dutch Supreme Court made a $50 billion award to its shareholders finalMikhail Khodorkovsky bought Yukos at a 1995 state auction for $350 million. It became Russia's second-biggest oil company, and his fortune was estimated at more than $15 billion.yahoo.com and 2 moreOrapa Diamond Mine, Botswana (ASTER): The Orapa diamond mine is the world's largest diamond mine by area. The mine is located in Botswana. It is the oldest of four mines operated b1980 · Serowe, BotswanaBritain barred Seretse Khama from his chieftaincy for marrying an Englishwoman, and as Botswana's president he signed his people's mining land over to the state without compensationSeretse Khama was born in Serowe on 1 July 1921, grandson of Kgosi Khama III. He was proclaimed kgosi of the Bamangwato in 1925, aged four, with his uncle Tshekedi Khama as regent.thuto.org and 3 moreEdwin Drake: Edwindrake1880 · Titusville and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USAEdwin Drake drilled the first US oil well in 1859, lost his savings by 1866, and lived on a Pennsylvania state pensionEdwin Drake was born in New York on 29 March 1819. He worked as a railroad conductor until 1857, when poor health made him retire.npgallery.nps.gov and 2 moreHaji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev: Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev1924 · Mardakan, Baku, AzerbaijanBaku oil baron Taghiyev lost his mansion to the Bolsheviks in 1920 and died two days after learning his daughter had fled to PersiaZeynalabdin Taghiyev was born poor in Baku's Old City, the son of a shoemaker. He learned masonry and was a building contractor by 18. In 1873 he and two partners bought land at Bibi-Heybat.azer.com and 3 moreEilley Bowers: Eilley Bowers 21868 · Gold Hill and Washoe Valley, Nevada, USAEilley Bowers took mining claims for unpaid board, became one of the first Comstock millionaires, and lost her mansion at auctionAlison Oram was born in Forfar, Scotland, on 6 September 1826. She married at about 15, divorced in Utah, married again and divorced again, keeping land in Washoe Valley. She ran boarding houses at Johntown and Gold Hill.lasvegasnvmuseum.org and 2 moreBoki and Liliha, printed by C. Hullmandel; drawn on stone from the original painting by John Hayter, London, 1824: Na Poki, Prime Minister of the Sandwich Islands (actually Governo1830 · Honolulu, Oʻahu, Hawaii, USA; Erromango, VanuatuHawaiʻi's young king inherited the chiefs' sandalwood debt, and the governor who sailed to cut more sandalwood never came backKamehameha I held a monopoly on Hawaiʻi's sandalwood trade. After he died in 1819, his son Liholiho let the chiefs take a larger share. The chiefs bought goods from American traders on credit, promising payment in sandalwood.manoa.hawaii.edu and 3 morePresidente Lázaro Cárdenas reunido con Sindicato obrero veracruzano en 1938: Banquete ofrecido al Presidente de México Lázaro Cárdenas por el Sindicato de Santa Rosa (hoy Ciudad Me1938 · Mexico City, MexicoMexico expropriated the foreign oil companies in 1938, crowds brought chickens and jewelry to help pay, and Mexico paid the companies in fullIn 1937 Mexican oil workers went on strike. On 18 December 1937 an arbitration board ordered the foreign companies to pay 26 million pesos in lost wages.history.state.gov and 2 moreBus Memorial to Ken Saro-Wiwa (5927206987): 9 July 2011. Ten feet high, steel sculpture of a Nigerian Bus parked behind the Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Tottenham. It's a memorial to 1995 · Port Harcourt, Rivers State, NigeriaNigeria hanged Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight Ogoni activists over oil-region protests, buried them without their families, and pardoned them 30 years laterKen Saro-Wiwa and eight other members of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People were convicted by a military tribunal of murdering four Ogoni chiefs. They maintained their innocence.Al Jazeera and 2 moreIbnu sutowo PYO: Ibnu Sutowo, Menteri Minyak, dan Gas Bumi1976 · Singapore, and Jakarta, IndonesiaA Pertamina general died with 54 million marks in Singapore accounts in his and his widow's names, and the courts gave it to the state oil company as bribesGeneral Haji Achmad Thahir was general assistant to Ibnu Sutowo, president-director of Indonesia's state oil company, Pertamina.law.nus.edu.sg and 3 moreMohammad Mosaddeq, Ahmadabad 1967: Mohammad Mosaddeq (1882-1967), Iranian Prime Minister and a major political figure in the modern history of Iran. This photograph was taken ca 191967 · Ahmadabad, IranMossadegh nationalised Iran's oil, was overthrown in a CIA and MI6 coup, and was buried under the floor of his own houseIn March 1951 Iran's parliament passed a law nationalising the oil industry, and Mohammad Mossadegh became prime minister in April. On 19 August 1953 a coup planned and financed by the CIA and MI6 overthrew him.equaltimes.org and 2 moreShimizudani Refinery Ruins at Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine 001: 島根県大田市にある清水谷精錬所跡。世界文化遺産「石見銀山遺跡とその文化的景観」を構成する資産の一部。1613 · Iwami Ginzan, Ōda, Shimane, JapanTokugawa Ieyasu's mine magistrate died rich in 1613, and the shogunate made his seven sons kill themselves and seized everything he ownedŌkubo Nagayasu was born in 1545, the second son of a sarugaku performer. Takeda Shingen took him on as a retainer and set him to work on mines and taxes, including the Kurokawa gold mine.mlit.go.jp and 2 moreLudvig Nobel: Ludvig Nobel1888 · Baku, Azerbaijan; St Petersburg, Russia; Stockholm, SwedenThe Nobel brothers built Russia's largest oil company in Baku; Ludvig's son fled the Bolsheviks disguised as a peasant and sold half the shares to Standard OilIn 1879 Ludvig, Robert and Alfred Nobel and partners formed Branobel with 3 million roubles of capital. Ludvig died in Cannes in 1888, and his son Emanuel took charge. Emanuel was a Russian citizen.aapg.org and 4 moreFat-Mats (1719, Martin Fur Copper Mine, Falun, Sweden): Fat-Mats (from Leyel, 1722 & Wiman, 1941) This is the story of Fat-Mats. It in no way counts as a story about fossils, b1677 · Falun, Dalarna, SwedenA Falun copper miner vanished in 1677, his body came out of the mine 42 years later, his old fiancée named him, and he was put on showMats Israelsson, from Boda in Svärdsjö, worked in the Falun copper mine. In 1676 or 1677 he went down to light a fire used in the mining work and did not come back. On 2 December 1719 miners found a body in a long-abandoned shaft.sok.riksarkivet.se and 2 moreJáchymov 2016 a: View over Jáchymov1526 · Jáchymov (Joachimsthal), Karlovy Vary Region, Czech RepublicCount Stephan Schlick minted the first thalers from his silver mine, vanished at Mohács in 1526, and the new king took the mint from his familySilver was found in the Ore Mountains of Bohemia in 1512. In 1516 Count Stephan Schlick founded a mining town there, Joachimsthal, now Jáchymov. Regular minting began in 1520.machogalleries.com and 2 moreBarney Barnato00: Portrait of Barney Barnato (1852-1897)1897 · at sea near Madeira; Johannesburg, South AfricaDiamond magnate Barney Barnato went overboard from a mail steamer in 1897, a blackmailer shot his nephew Woolf Joel dead the next year, and his son inherited at twoBarnett Isaacs was born in London on 5 July 1852. He reached Kimberley in 1873 with about £50 and took the surname his brother Harry used there, Barnato. The brothers started the diamond firm Barnato Brothers in 1874.jewishencyclopedia.com and 4 moreManiram Dewan: Maniram Dewan1858 · Jorhat, Assam, IndiaManiram Dewan, the first Indian to plant tea commercially in Assam, was hanged in 1858, and the British auctioned his tea gardensManiram Dutta Barua worked as a Dewan, an administrator, for the British in Assam, and later as prime minister to the Ahom ruler Purandar Singha.livehistoryindia.com and 2 moreDecebal suicide: The suicide of the Dacian King Decebal on the Trajan Column106 · Sarmizegetusa Regia, Hunedoara County, RomaniaCassius Dio says Dacia's king buried his gold under a diverted river and killed the diggers, and a companion told the Romans where it wasDecebalus was king of Dacia. Rome under Trajan fought two wars against him and took his capital and his land. Cassius Dio writes that when Decebalus was about to be captured he killed himself, and his head was taken to Rome.University of Chicago, LacusCurtius and 2 moreValles típicos de Obejo, Sierra Morena: valles típicos de Sierra Morena. Obejo33 · Rome, Italy; mines in Hispania (Spain)Tacitus says Tiberius had Spain's richest man thrown from the Tarpeian Rock and kept his gold and copper mines for himselfSextus Marius owned gold and copper mines in Spain under the emperor Tiberius. Tacitus calls him the richest man in Spain. He survived an accusation in AD 25.University of Chicago, LacusCurtius and 3 moreNicias: Nicias, p 105 (World's Famous Orations Vol 1)413 BCE · Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; Athens, GreeceNicias rented 1,000 slaves into Athens's silver mines, Syracuse executed him, the Thirty killed his son, and his nephew went to court to keep the family landNicias son of Niceratus inherited a large fortune and was one of the largest lessees at the Laurion silver mines south of Athens.perseus.tufts.edu and 5 moreBandaBesarIslandSeenFromFortBelgica: An Indonesian island of Banda Besar seen from Fort Belgica.1621 · Banda Islands, Maluku, IndonesiaThe Dutch East India Company executed 44 Banda chiefs in 1621 and gave the nutmeg groves to Dutch planters, and one planter family says it has held its grove for 13 generationsNutmeg and mace grew nowhere else in the world when the Dutch East India Company reached the Banda Islands. A cargo bought there could sell for up to 300 times its price in Europe.daily.jstor.org and 3 more230728 Chusonji Hiraizumi Iwate pref Japan01s3: Chūson-ji Konjiki-dō in Hiraizumi, Iwate prefecture, Japan1189 · Hiraizumi, Iwate, JapanThe Ōshū Fujiwara grew rich on northern gold, the fourth lord turned on the fugitive his father told him to protect, his own vassal beheaded him, and his head lies in the family's gold hallThe Ōshū Fujiwara ruled northern Japan from Hiraizumi for four generations. A 2021 study in PLoS ONE says the region exported horses and gold, and its lords used gold to buy influence in the capital.ebi.ac.uk and 2 moreCentral Mausoleum: Views of the central mausoleum photographed in 1951 (left) and 2007 (right), showing the degree of deterioration of the building1063 · Koumbi Saleh, Hodh Ech Chargui, Mauritania (probable capitalAl-Bakri wrote that Ghana's king took every gold nugget and his heir was his sister's son, and in 1063 a nephew took the throne over the dead king's Muslim sonAbu Ubayd al-Bakri described the kingdom of Ghana in his Book of Routes and Realms in the 11th century.bu.edu and 2 moreThe full album is known as Gathering Gems of Beauty (畫麗珠萃秀).: This painting depicts Zhuo Wenjun (卓文君).140 BCE · Linqiong (Qionglai), Sichuan, ChinaAn iron magnate swore his widowed daughter would get not one coin after she eloped, then gave her 100 servants and a million cash when she sold wine in his townThe Shiji, compiled by Sima Qian about 100 BC, says the Zhuo family of Shu came from Zhao, where they grew rich smelting iron. When Qin conquered Zhao it deported them. Other deportees bribed officials to be settled close by.zh.wikisource.org and 2 moreBian Zhongyun: Bian zhongyunLegend · 690 BCE · State of Chu, Hubei, China; Handan (Zhao), Hebei, ChinaThe Han Feizi says two kings cut off Bian He's feet for calling a stone jade, and the Shiji says Qin later offered 15 cities for the discThe Han Feizi, written in the third century BC, tells this story. A man of Chu named He found an uncut stone in the mountains and presented it to King Li. The royal jade expert said it was a stone.zh.wikisource.org and 2 more