Founder Profile
Frank Phillips
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Frank Phillips?
Frank Phillips is a founder of Phillips 66, which was founded in 1917 with L.E. Phillips.
- Company founded
- Phillips 66
- Founded
- 1917
- Co-founders
- L.E. Phillips
Background
Frank Phillips worked as a barber and bond salesman before entering the Oklahoma oil business with his brother in the early 1900s.
Founding Story
Frank Phillips (1873-1950) co-founded Phillips Petroleum with his brother L.E. Phillips in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, in 1917 after earlier success drilling in Osage territory. He led the company through its growth into a national gasoline marketer and built the Woolaroc ranch near Bartlesville.
Frank Freeman Phillips was born on November 28, 1873 and died on August 23, 1950. He was president of Phillips Petroleum from 1917 to 1939 and chairman from 1939 to 1949. Frank Phillips was born in 1873.