{"id":5449,"date":"2025-02-19T06:56:36","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T14:56:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/?p=5449"},"modified":"2025-11-06T14:37:39","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T22:37:39","slug":"history-of-los-angeless-richest-family-edward-doheny-and-the-start-of-the-oil-boom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/eternal-5449-history-of-los-angeless-richest-family-edward-doheny-and-the-start-of-the-oil-boom","title":{"rendered":"History of Los Angeles&#8217;s Richest Family: Edward Doheny and the Start of the Oil Boom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Edward Doheny is an example of incredible growth, rising to become the richest man in America of his time. <a href=\"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\">Losangeleska.com<\/a> shares more about the American oil tycoon, philanthropist, and his family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a0d6f43b8e10\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #090909;color:#090909\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #090909;color:#090909\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a0d6f43b8e10\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/eternal-5449-history-of-los-angeless-richest-family-edward-doheny-and-the-start-of-the-oil-boom\/#Childhood\" >Childhood<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/eternal-5449-history-of-los-angeless-richest-family-edward-doheny-and-the-start-of-the-oil-boom\/#Mining\" >Mining<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/eternal-5449-history-of-los-angeless-richest-family-edward-doheny-and-the-start-of-the-oil-boom\/#Move_to_California\" >Move to California<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/eternal-5449-history-of-los-angeless-richest-family-edward-doheny-and-the-start-of-the-oil-boom\/#First_Success\" >First Success<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/eternal-5449-history-of-los-angeless-richest-family-edward-doheny-and-the-start-of-the-oil-boom\/#Second_Marriage\" >Second Marriage<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/eternal-5449-history-of-los-angeless-richest-family-edward-doheny-and-the-start-of-the-oil-boom\/#Big_Business\" >Big Business<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/eternal-5449-history-of-los-angeless-richest-family-edward-doheny-and-the-start-of-the-oil-boom\/#The_Second_Criminal_Trial\" >The Second Criminal Trial<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/eternal-5449-history-of-los-angeless-richest-family-edward-doheny-and-the-start-of-the-oil-boom\/#Philanthropy\" >Philanthropy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/eternal-5449-history-of-los-angeless-richest-family-edward-doheny-and-the-start-of-the-oil-boom\/#A_Sad_End\" >A Sad End<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Childhood\"><\/span>Childhood<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When reading stories of the famous and wealthy, the question arises: was it always this way? It&#8217;s interesting to learn how the future oil magnate&#8217;s journey began and the conditions in which he grew up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Edward Doheny was born in 1856 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, to an Irish-Catholic family. <strong>His father fled the Great Famine<\/strong> and later took up whaling. His mother worked as a school teacher. After marrying, the couple moved to Wisconsin, where Edward was born. His father then found work as a builder and gardener.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Edward Doheny finished school at just 15. At that moment, sad news hit the family: his father died. Doheny went to work. He first joined the <strong>U.S. Geological Survey<\/strong> and, in 1873, headed to Kansas. The following year, after leaving the USGS, the young man became interested in prospecting. He first traveled to the Black Hills of South Dakota, and then to Arizona and New Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mining\"><\/span>Mining<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1880, Doheny was listed as a painter in Arizona, although he was prospecting that same year. He began exploring for and mining mineral deposits, and later bought and sold properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Doheny worked at the famous <strong>&#8220;Iron King&#8221; mine<\/strong>, a constant draw for prospectors. It was there he met Albert Fall, the future Secretary of the Interior, and his future business partner, Charles Canfield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His first mining ventures were unsuccessful, but in 1883, he met Carrie Wilkins. They married on August 7 of that year, and in December 1885, their daughter Eileen was born. To support his family, Doheny had to take <strong>any odd job he could find<\/strong>, including painting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.losangeleska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/02\/edward-doheny-los-angeles-450x300_1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5058\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.losangeleska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/02\/edward-doheny-los-angeles-450x300_1.jpg 450w, https:\/\/cdn.losangeleska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/02\/edward-doheny-los-angeles-450x300_1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Move_to_California\"><\/span>Move to California<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1891, the Doheny family moved to Los Angeles, California. Canfield, Doheny&#8217;s future partner, had left New Mexico earlier and managed to improve his financial standing. However, he later lost his entire fortune, land holdings, and was in debt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Canfield and Doheny decided to found the Pacific Gold and Silver Extracting Company in Southern California, but they soon returned to Los Angeles. The Doheny family <strong>was living in poverty<\/strong>, unable to even pay for a boarding house room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Adding to their despair and pain, their daughter Eileen died in 1892. She was seven years old and had heart problems due to rheumatic fever and a lung infection. The death of their only child, the harsh reality of mining life, and numerous financial problems took a toll on the marriage. A ray of hope came with the birth of their son, <strong>Edward Jr. (&#8220;Ned&#8221;), in 1893<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"First_Success\"><\/span>First Success<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After so many hardships and obstacles, success finally awaited the Doheny family. Edward Doheny discovered natural asphalt deposits in Los Angeles, which sometimes seeped to the surface at the <strong>La Brea Tar Pits<\/strong>. He and Canfield began digging for bitumen, from which oil could be refined. In 1893, the partners drilled the first well. This event inspired John Jakes to write the novel &#8220;California Gold.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The well was small, but it operated continuously for three years. During this time, Doheny and Canfield opened about three hundred more wells. The men became rich and continued drilling in the area. They also sold oil to nearby factories, <strong>fueling the &#8220;California oil boom&#8221;<\/strong> of the early 1900s. Doheny and Canfield even managed to convince the railroads to switch from coal to oil to power their locomotives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Interestingly, Edward Doheny was also the <strong>first oil producer in Mexico<\/strong>, and he managed to expand his operations even further during the Mexican Revolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"368\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.losangeleska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/02\/apimlugfv__14080.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5061\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.losangeleska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/02\/apimlugfv__14080.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cdn.losangeleska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/02\/apimlugfv__14080-300x221.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.losangeleska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/02\/apimlugfv__14080-80x60.jpg 80w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Second_Marriage\"><\/span>Second Marriage<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1899, Edward and Carrie divorced; their son was six years old. Edward gained custody of his son and remarried. Carrie Doheny could not cope with this; a year after their divorce and losing custody of her son, she <strong>committed suicide<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Edward Doheny&#8217;s second wife was <strong>Carrie &#8220;Estelle&#8221; Betzold<\/strong>. The couple had no children together, but she raised Ned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Big_Business\"><\/span>Big Business<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Edward Doheny founded the <strong>Pan American Petroleum and Transport Company<\/strong> in 1916. A part of this company later became the Mexican Petroleum Company. The Pan American Petroleum and Transport Company owned 600,000 acres (240,000 ha) of land, worth about $50 million, and an additional 800,000 acres (320,000 ha) in Mexico by 1919.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The American oil magnate considered expansion options, such as developing the oil industry in Venezuela and building a pipeline from Colombia to Venezuela.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By 1920, the Pan American Petroleum and Transport Company was the <strong>largest oil company in the United States<\/strong>. Oil prices were high, and by 1925, Doheny&#8217;s net worth was about <strong>$100 million<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Big business is always linked with scandals, and Edward Doheny couldn&#8217;t avoid them. The <strong>&#8220;Teapot Dome&#8221;<\/strong> political corruption scandal, which involved President Warren G. Harding&#8217;s administration, became public. At that time, the lease of several oil reserves in California to private oil companies at low rates and without competitive bidding gained notoriety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was later revealed that Edward Doheny had given a <strong>$100,000 bribe<\/strong> to former Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall in 1921. The oil tycoon was indicted but was acquitted in 1930.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"1107\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.losangeleska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/02\/doheny_gdaughter.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5064\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.losangeleska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/02\/doheny_gdaughter.jpg 800w, https:\/\/cdn.losangeleska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/02\/doheny_gdaughter-217x300.jpg 217w, https:\/\/cdn.losangeleska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/02\/doheny_gdaughter-768x1063.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.losangeleska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/02\/doheny_gdaughter-696x963.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Second_Criminal_Trial\"><\/span>The Second Criminal Trial<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Edward Doheny gave his <strong>Greystone Mansion<\/strong> in <a href=\"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/eternal\/a-rich-woman-from-beverly-hills-the-story-of-successful-american-supermodel-bella-hadid\">Beverly Hills<\/a> to his son Ned and his wife, Lucy Smith. The oil magnate sold the luxurious house and its accompanying ranch to his son for just $10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1929, a second criminal trial against Doheny and Fall for bribery began. At that point, tensions had reached their peak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His son Ned and Doheny&#8217;s assistant were also indicted, but they died before the trial (the assistant, Plunkett, <strong>murdered Ned during an argument<\/strong> and then shot himself). In the end, only one person was convicted: Albert Fall, for accepting the bribe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Philanthropy\"><\/span>Philanthropy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Doheny family was wealthy and influential, but they did not forget about charitable initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Edward Doheny helped finance the construction of <strong>St. Vincent de Paul Church<\/strong> in Los Angeles. It is a Catholic parish and a famous historical-cultural landmark in Los Angeles. The church, located in one of the city&#8217;s wealthiest neighborhoods, was dedicated in 1925.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>After his son&#8217;s death, he donated <strong>$1.1 million to the University of Southern California (USC)<\/strong> in 1932. This money went to build the Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Doheny family donated coastal land in <strong>Dana Point, California<\/strong>. Overall, the family donated a lot of money to build cathedrals, churches, and buildings and dormitories at Loyola Marymount University.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In 1944, Carrie &#8220;Estelle&#8221; Doheny founded and funded the <strong>Doheny Eye Institute<\/strong>, a world leader in vision research. She went down in Los Angeles history as a significant cultural philanthropist.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.losangeleska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/02\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5067\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.losangeleska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/02\/image.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.losangeleska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/02\/image-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.losangeleska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/02\/image-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.losangeleska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/02\/image-80x60.png 80w, https:\/\/cdn.losangeleska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/02\/image-696x522.png 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Sad_End\"><\/span>A Sad End<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The wealthy family&#8217;s history is filled with tragic pages. After the trials ended, Edward Doheny was left alone and disabled. His second wife then asked architect Wallace Neff to design the Ferndale Ranch on their property in Ojai, California. In less than six weeks, hundreds of workers built the 9,000-square-foot (840 m\u00b2) house. They had to work day and night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On September 8, 1935, the man died in his townhouse in Beverly Hills. He was 79 years old. His funeral was held at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Edward Doheny is an example of incredible growth, rising to become the richest man in America of his time. Losangeleska.com shares more about the American oil tycoon, philanthropist, and his family. Childhood When reading stories of the famous and wealthy, the question arises: was it always this way? It&#8217;s interesting to learn how the future [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":402,"featured_media":5056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1034],"tags":[5084,5086,5076,5085,5081,5075,5079,5083,5077,5074,5073,5072,5082,5080,5078],"motype":[1045],"moformat":[127],"moimportance":[212,34,33],"class_list":{"0":"post-5449","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world-life","8":"tag-albert-fall-bribe","9":"tag-california-oil-history","10":"tag-charles-canfield","11":"tag-doheny-eye-institute","12":"tag-doheny-family-history","13":"tag-edward-doheny","14":"tag-edward-ned-doheny-jr","15":"tag-greystone-mansion","16":"tag-la-brea-tar-pits-oil","17":"tag-los-angeles-oil-boom","18":"tag-pan-american-petroleum","19":"tag-richest-family-in-los-angeles","20":"tag-st-vincent-de-paul-church","21":"tag-teapot-dome-scandal","22":"tag-usc-doheny-memorial-library","23":"motype-eternal","24":"moformat-longrid-korotka","25":"moimportance-aktualnist-bilshe-roku","26":"moimportance-golovna-novina","27":"moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatori"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/402"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5449"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5449\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5450,"href":"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5449\/revisions\/5450"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5449"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=5449"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=5449"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losangeleska.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=5449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}