The Oil Barons

Over the last year or so I've been reading and seeing more and more information about the oil boom that's taking place in Alberta, Canada.

The oil is in a remote region of Alberta. And apparently there's a whole lot of it.

It's certain to create a slew of new Oil Barons ... and Mini- Oil Barons too!

But there's a bit of a challenge.

The oil extractors can't just drill into the ground, hit a vein, and have oil gush up into the air like in the movie, "There Will Be Blood", the TV show "Dallas", or the TV show "The Beverly Hillbillies" (my personal favorite of course, because Jed Clampett didn't have to drill the ground - he just shot it!).

You see, the oil is embedded in the sand that lies throughout this sparse Canadian frontier. So it's much more expensive to extract.

How ‘bout that. Grab a handful of sand and voila - instant Oil Baron!

But with the price of oil at more than $100 a barrel, the oil extractors have descended upon "The Oil Sands of Alberta" to make their billions while the makin' is good.

So I started thinking about some of my favorite Oil Barons of the last, oh, hundred years or so.

Here they are:

Jed Clampett

Born: Jed Clampett ... aka J.D. Clampett ... aka Jedediah Clampett

Bio: Head of the famous Clampett family, that hillbilly family that took over Beverly Hills

Net Worth: Unknown - maybe in the tens of millions

Claim to Fame: While out shootin' at some food one day, he shot into the ground and discovered oil, Black Gold, Texas Tea

Legacy: Captured our imagination from 1962 - 1971 as a good ol' down home rich guy; Had his own song - "The Ballad of Jed Clampett"

J.R. Ewing

Born: John Ross Ewing, Jr.

Bio: Eldest son of Oil Baron Jock Ewing. Older brother of Bobby Ewing.

Net Worth: Unknown - making comeback from "broke and busted"

Claim to Fame: Shot by an unknown assailant ... that turned out to be his wife's sister

Legacy: Engaged us for 11 years as ruthless profiteer and backstabber on "Dallas"

T. Boone Pickens

Born: Thomas Boone Pickens, Jr , 1928

Bio: Head of BP Capital and formerly Mesa Oil

Net Worth: About $3,000,000,000

Claim to Fame: In the 1980's teamed with Junk Bond financier Michael Milken for takeover runs against oil firms Phillips Petroleum, Cities Service, Gulf Oil and Unocal

Legacy: Scared the hell out of big firms with his takeover attempts; Backer of the infamous Swift Boat ads that plagued John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election

John D. Rockefeller

Born: John Davison Rockefeller, 1839

Bio: Founded Standard Oil Company

Net Worth: Over $1,000,000,000 ... estimated at $200,000,000,000 in today's dollar's!

Claim to Fame: First U.S. Billionaire; World's richest man

Legacy: Target of U.S. crackdown on monopolies; Created large charity that still exists

What do you think about this list?

Who are your favorite oil barons?

Check out The Looney Executive Emerging Growth Podcast Series to learn about some of today's up and coming Barons and Moguls!