Frank Seaver

Frank Seaver and his wife, Blanche, in the 1950s

Frank Roger Seaver (April 12, 1883[1]–30 October 1964) was an American lawyer, Naval officer, oil executive, and philanthropist.[2][3]

He grew up in Claremont, California, graduating from Pomona College in 1905,[2] where he managed the football team and served as the first president of the Associated Students of Pomona College.[4] He then attended Harvard Law School[5] and practiced law in Los Angeles, and helped draft the first charter of Los Angeles County.[2] He served in the Navy during World War I and helped establish the California Naval Militia.[2]

He met Edward L. Doheny on a weekend yachting trip in 1919, who hired him to work for his oil enterprise.[2] He became General Counsel and Managing General Agent for Doheny's operations in Mexico from 1921 to 1927, and convinced the Mexican government to hire him for an ambitious road paving project.[2]

He later founded the Hydril Company, a producer of oil drilling equipment.[2] He and his wife, Blanche, were a major contributor to Pomona,[6] where they served as trustees, and where the Seaver Science Center is named after him and several other buildings are named after his family.[7][8] They were also the principal benefactors of the Malibu campus of Pepperdine University, which named its College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences after him,[9][10] and donated portions of their $10.1 million estate (equivalent to $99.2 million in 2023) to other institutions.[11][12]

References

  1. ^ "Seaver (Blanche Ebert and Frank R.) Papers". www.oac.cdlib.org. Online Archive of California. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Marshall, Colonel Norman S. "Californians and the Military: Frank Roger Seaver: A Hero's Life". California Center for Military History. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  3. ^ Who's who in the Pacific Southwest: a compilation of authentic biographical sketches of citizens of Southern California and Arizona. Los Angeles, California: Times-Mirror Print. & Binding House. 1913. p. 332.
  4. ^ "1904". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  5. ^ Seaver, Randall J. (22 March 2017). "Seavers in the News - Frank R. Seaver Leaves a Legacy". Genea-Musings. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  6. ^ Blackstock, Joe (18 July 2011). "Missed flight helped college take off". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  7. ^ "Campus Facilities - Pomona College Catalog". Pomona College. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  8. ^ Lyon, E. Wilson (1977). The History of Pomona College, 1887-1969. The Castle Press.
  9. ^ Oliver, Myrna (13 April 1994). "Blanche E. Seaver, Major Donor to Colleges, Dies". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Blanche E. Seaver, Philanthropist, 102". The New York Times. Associated Press. 14 April 1994. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  11. ^ Dolezal, Cormac (5 December 2018). "A look through the history of Seaver". Los Angeles Loyolan. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  12. ^ "School to Benefit from Estate". Pasadena Star-News. 14 December 1964. p. 24.
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