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Inventory of the John Elbert Elliott papers
1901-1980
81095
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Table of contents
Title: John Elbert Elliott papers
Date (inclusive): 1901-1980
Creator:
Elliott, John Elbert, 1887-1980.
Collection Number: 81095
Repository:
Hoover Institution Archives
Stanford, California 94305-6010
Language of Material:
English
Collection Size:
53 manuscript boxes, 2 oversize boxes
(26.4 linear feet)
Abstract: Includes letters, photographs, clippings, printed matter, and memorabilia of an American oil geologist, engineer, and entrepreneur.
Collection is open for research.
The Hoover Institution Archives only allows access to
copies of audiovisual items. To listen to sound recordings or to view videos or films during your visit, please contact the Archives
at least two working days before your arrival. We will then advise you of the accessibility of the material you wish to see
or hear. Please note that not all audiovisual material is immediately accessible.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Archives.
[Identification of item], John Elbert Elliott papers, [Box number], Hoover Institution Archives.
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Archives in 1981.
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. To determine if this has occurred, find
the collection in Stanford University's online catalog at
http://searchworks.stanford.edu/ . Materials have been added to the collection if the number of boxes listed in the online catalog is larger than the number
of boxes listed in this finding aid.
Arthur A. Cervi miscellany, Hoover Institution Archives
Charles H. White papers, Hoover Institution Archives
| 1887 | Born, Bozeman, Montana |
| 1897 | Moved to the Monterey and Salinas area of California |
| 1906 | Graduated from Monterey High School |
| 1907 | Member, Western Pacific Railway survey party in the Feather River Canyon |
| 1911-1912 | Chief statistician, Associated Oil Company, Taft, California |
| 1912 | A.B. in geology & mining, Stanford University |
| 1912-1913 | Assistant chief geologist, Caribbean Petroleum Company (subsidiary of the Barber Asphalt Company), Venezuela |
| 1913 | First American geologist to become a regular employee of the Royal Dutch Petroleum Group in the United States |
| 1913-1915 | Geologist, Shell Oil Company of California, San Francisco |
| 1915-1920 | Chief Geologist, Shell Oil Company of California, San Francisco |
| 1918- | Member, American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) |
| 1919- | Member, American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) |
| 1921 | Associate professor of petroleum technology, Stanford University |
| 1921 | Moved to Los Angeles, California |
| 1921-1939 | President and general manager, Elliott Core Drilling Company |
| 1922-1939 | With Floyd C. Merritt, formed the firm Elliott and Merritt, working as a consulting engineer and geologist, Los Angeles |
| With Merritt, organized and operated the Elliott Oil Companies (also known as the Elliott Petroleum Co.), located in Santa Fe Springs | |
| 1923 | Author, "Core Drilling with Rotary Tools in California," Bulletin of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists |
| 1928-1929 | Vice president, American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) |
| 1929 | Pioneered the use of geological map-making through airplane travel |
| 1940-1942 | Independent petroleum engineer and operator |
| 1942-1944 | Major, Chemical Warfare Service, United States Army |
| 1944 | Moved to Austin, Texas |
| 1944-1960 | Independent petroleum geologist |
| 1960- | Estate manager, semi-retired |
| 1962 | Recipient, Anthony F. Lucas Gold Metal of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers |
| 1966- | Member, American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) |
| 1968 | Selected as the Republican presidential elector for the 10th district in Texas |
| 1970 | Elected honorary member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists |
| 1972 | Named honorary chairman of the Texas delegation to the Electoral College |
| 1980 | Died |
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection was originally housed in a series of binders that served as personal and professional scrapbooks of John E.
"Brick" Elliott, a petroleum industry businessman, geologist, and consultant who created and popularized the core barrel technique
for drilling and invented the double-barreled rotary core. The eclectic mix of materials, including letters, photographs,
clippings, and ephemera, provides a snapshot of the United States in the 20th century, particularly focusing on the oil industry,
the Republican Party, and political and civil rights issues in the 1960s and 1970s.
The
Scrapbooks, which make up the majority of the collection, follow the timeline of Elliott's life, documenting his career, travels, and
interests. They merge professional and personal material, containing photographs, correspondence, and printed matter from
Elliott's life and work, which took him around the United States and abroad. Many scrapbooks document Elliott's travels or
contain materials documenting Elliott's work in the oil industry, including his role in the Elliott Core Drilling Company.
The scrapbooks also include materials on people Elliott knew at various times in his life, such as Stanford classmates and
oil industry businessmen.
Elliott was a Stanford University alumnus. The collection contains photographs and memorabilia from his years at Stanford
(1907-1912), as well as documentation of his activities as an alumnus, materials on football at Stanford, and clippings on
student protests in the 1960s.
An active member of the Republican Party, Elliott served as the Republican presidential elector for the 10th district in Texas.
The collection contains correspondence and material from his political involvement, as well as printed material covering a
wide variety of political and economic issues. Additionally, Elliott attended yearly meetings and reunions of various groups,
including the Bohemian Club and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, which are documented in his scrapbooks.
The
Correspondence, subject file, and printed matter contain material not included in Elliott's scrapbooks, including printed matter on Stanford and the oil industry.
The
Motion picture film contains a color film of highlights from a Rose Bowl game, while the
Oversize material includes drawings of Stanford.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Engineers.
Petroleum industry and trade.