Occupation Capitalist | Name John Barneson | |
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Born January 1, 1862 ( 1862-01-01 ) Wick, Scotland Spouse(s) Harriet Emily Harris (born 1866, died 1936) Married 1886 Children John Leslie Barneson, Muriel E. Barneson, Lionel T. Barneson, Harold James Barneson Died February 26, 1941, San Mateo, California, United States | ||
Captain John Barneson was one of the most important figures in commerce and development on the Pacific Coast of California. He was responsible for the first oil pipeline in the State of California and was the Founder of General Petroleum which he later sold to Standard Oil of New York. Captain Barneson was a Director and Vice President of Standard Oil after the merger.
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Captain Barneson was also a pioneer in the use of oil as a fuel for ocean steamers. He was one of the most popular social and business figures in the early 1900s and helped transform the economy of California.
In his memoirs Herbert Hoover wrote:
The matter was not itself so important but it brought me the acquaintance of Captain John Barneson, the president of General Petroleum. Captain John was one of the choice souls in American life. Honest, courageous, frank, generous and loyal, and with a high quality of humor, he had started before the mast; risen to command a naval supply ship in the Spanish-American War; gone into the shipping business for himself; thence into oil fuel business; from there finally into oil production, where he built up the General Petroleum Company to a great industry." (The Memoirs of Herbert Hoover, pg 111)
Career at Sea
Personal life
Captain Barneson was the son of James Barneson and Elizabeth Rose Bremner Barneson. He married Harriet Emily Harris in Sydney, Australia on January 8, 1886. They had four children; John Leslie Barneson, Muriel E. Barneson, Lionel T. Barneson and Harold James Barneson (b. 1896 Port, WA, d. 1945 Los Angeles, CA).
He received his education in the public schools of New South Wales.