resting_place death_date death_place birth_place birth_date known_for image article_title name
dartmouth college cemetery 19 november 1884 new york city hanover , new hampshire 08 november 1821 american oil industry pioneer george henry bissell by gurney , 1860s.jpg george bissell -lrb- industrialist -rrb-
 george henry bissell
george bissell -lrb- industrialist -rrb-

george henry bissell -lrb- november 8 , 1821 -- november 19 , 1884 -rrb- is often considered the father of the american oil industry .
he was born in hanover , new hampshire , the son of isaac bissell and nancy wemple .
in 1853 he observed by chance the primitive oil-gathering industry in western pennsylvania , although his interest in what was then known as `` rock oil '' had been piqued by seeing samples while a student at dartmouth college .
at the time , oil was gathered by such crude methods as soaking blankets in surface oil and then draining the blankets over barrels .
the oil was used mainly for medicinal purposes .
bissell had the innovative idea of using this oil to produce kerosene , then in high demand .
after getting confirmation of the usefulness of the product from yale chemist benjamin silliman jr. , he and his partner , jonathan eveleth , formed the pennsylvania rock oil company for this purpose .
in 1856 , after seeing pictures of derrick drilling for salt , bissell conceived of the idea of drilling for oil , rather than mining it .
this was widely considered ludicrous at the time but on august 27 , 1859 , the company first succeeded in striking oil , on a farm in titusville , pennsylvania .
bissell invested heavily in the surrounding region and ended up becoming a wealthy business man .
the company 's agent , edwin drake , is sometimes credited with the `` discovery '' of oil .
