NFF Distinguished American Award Recipients
Biography
As a 19-year-old working for his father’s oil delivery company in New Jersey, Hess built an oil terminal out of old tankers and managed to win multiple Federal contracts. He served in World War II, rising to the rank of Major, and serving as the fuel supply officer for General George S. Patton where he further developed his logistical expertise.
Hess’ success in oil continued after the war, building his first refinery in the late1950s and opening a chain of gas stations in 1960. A few years later, he built the world’s largest oil refinery to date in the Virgin Islands, and in 1963, Hess Oil and Chemical went public. In 1969, using the proceeds from the Hess sale, he acquired the Amerada Petroleum Corporation, one of the largest producers of crude oil in the United States and merged it with Hess Oil and Chemical to form the Amerada Hess Corporation. Hess served as chairman and CEO of Amerada Hess until 1995.
In 1963, Hess was part of a group, with fellow Distinguished American honoree Sonny Werblin, which purchased the New York Jets. By 1968, he had bought out most of the partners and became the sole owner in 1984. It was in 1984 that Hess moved the Jets out to New Jersey. In 2011, Hess was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Hess passed away in 1999 at the age of 85.
