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Title: John Elbert Elliott papers
Date (inclusive): 1901-1980
Collection Number: 81095
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
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.
Creator:
Elliott, John Elbert, 1887-1980
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1981.
[Identification of item], John Elbert Elliott papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & 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 Merritt, organized and operated the Elliott Oil Companies (also known as the Elliott Petroleum Co.), located in Santa Fe Springs |
| With Floyd C. Merritt, formed the firm Elliott and Merritt, working as a consulting engineer and geologist, Los Angeles | |
| 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.
Arthur A. Cervi miscellany, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Charles H. White papers, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Engineers
Petroleum industry and trade