Harrell Edmonds "Eddie" Chiles (May 11, 1910 – August 22, 1993) was the founder of the
Western Company of North America and an owner of the
Texas Rangers. He was also the paternal uncle of actress
Lois Chiles.
Eddie Chiles was born in
Itasca, Texas to Harsh Edmonds Chiles and Jewell Files. After graduating from
Wentworth Military Academy in
Lexington, Missouri, he worked as an oil patch roustabout before hitchhiking to
Norman, Oklahoma in 1930. In 1934, he graduated from the
University of Oklahoma with a B.S. degree in
Petroleum Engineering.
In 1939, after working as a Sales Engineer with
Reed Roller Bit Company in
Houston, he founded the
Western Company of North America. He started the company with two trucks and three employees. Western served the petroleum industry with technical services required in the discovery and production of oil and gas. The company grew to become a major
oil services firm, primarily in
acidizing,
fracturing and
cementing. At its peak, the Western Company had over 5,000 employees and annual worldwide revenues of over $500 million. During the 1970s, the Western Company also operated an
offshore drilling company run by Mr. Chiles' brother, Clay Chiles. The company was sold to
BJ Services in 1995.
Chiles bought the
baseball team Texas Rangers in
1980 and served as chairman of the club until
1989 when he sold the team to group of investors that included the future
President of the United States George W. Bush, as well as
New York......
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