DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm going to give it the room it deserves. Ernest O. Thompson — now there's a name that ought to echo a little longer than it does.
Third generation Texan, which means Texas was already in the blood before he ever had a say in the matter. He was in college when World War I called, and he left without looking back. By the time the smoke cleared, he'd earned a battlefield promotion to Lieutenant Colonel — the youngest in the entire United States Army.
Let that sit a moment. The youngest. In the whole country.
He hadn't even finished his degree. In 1930, Amarillo handed him the mayor's office, and he made enough noise in that role to earn national recognition as a crusading mayor. That word — crusading — that's the marker's word, and it fits what came next.
In 1932 he was appointed to the Railroad Commission of Texas. Then he won successive elective terms. Served as chairman for many years.
And right from the start, he did not ease in gently. His first major order of business was enforcing proration in East Texas during what the marker calls the world's greatest oil boom. The world's greatest.
That's not Duane embellishing — that's the inscription. And oil men don't slow down for rules they find inconvenient, so Thompson backed his enforcement with the Texas Rangers. Non-complying wells got shut down.
Period. Now, some men might have coasted on that kind of authority. Thompson kept building.
His previous experience had been in law practice and hotel ownership — not exactly petroleum school — but he learned oil and gas engineering principles, along with regulation and conservation, quickly enough that in 1934, acting under the advice of President Franklin D. Roosevelt himself, he led in founding the Interstate Oil Compact Commission. Not just joined it.
Led in founding it. Two years after that, in 1937, he represented the United States at the World Petroleum Congress in Paris. When World War II came, he went back into the Army.
But a presidential order brought him back to Texas — because someone at the top understood that keeping the Allied military forces supplied with oil was too important to leave to anyone else. Thompson returned to make sure those supplies held. In 1951, the American Petroleum Institute awarded him its Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement — the highest honor in the industry.
The marker calls him an acknowledged world leader in petroleum conservation. An international authority on oil, which it notes is key to world trade, a man of great economic influence. Third generation Texan.
Youngest Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army. Mayor.
Commissioner. Founder. Delegate.
The kind of man who starts a war young and spends the rest of his life trying to make sure the lights stay on for everybody. Ernest O. Thompson.
Remember that name.
What the marker says
Acknowledged world leader in petroleum conservation. A third generation Texan. Left college for World War I, earning battlefield promotion to Lieutenant Colonel--youngest in the U.S. Army. In 1930 gained national recognition as crusading Amarillo mayor. Appointed in 1932 to Railroad Commission of Texas, won successive elective terms, chairman many years. Began Commission duty by enforcing proration in East Texas during world's greatest oil boom. Backed by Texas Rangers, closed off non-complying wells. His previous experience was in law practice, hotel ownership; quickly learned oil and gas engineering principles, along with regulation and conservation. In 1934, under advice of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, led in founding Interstate Oil Compact Commission. Represented the U.S. at World Petroleum Congress in Paris in 1937. Went into Army in World War II, but returned to Texas on presidential order to insure oil supplies for Allied military forces. In 1951 was awarded American Petroleum Institute Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement. An international authority on oil--key to world trade--he had great economic influence.