Husband Charles L. Suhr 1 2 3
Born: 30 Mar 1877 - Oil City, Venango Co, PA 4 5
Christened:
Died:
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Father: Henry Suhr (1844-1914) 2 6 7 8
Mother: Louise Schorman ( -1919) 5 6 9
Marriage: 1901 - ? Venango Co, PA
• Additional Image: Charles L. Suhr.
Wife Kate A. Wilkins 1 5
Born:
Christened:
Died:
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Father: Benton T. "Ben" Wilkins (1840-1912) 5 10
Mother: Rebecca Brown ( -1904) 5 10
Children
1 M Henry B. Suhr 4 5 11
Born: 1902 11
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Died:
Buried:
Spouse: Elizabeth Peters ( - ) 11
Marr: 1930
2 M Charles W. Suhr 4 5 11
Born: 1905 11
Christened:
Died: Sep 1931 - near Leavenworth, KS 11
Buried:
Spouse: Helen T. Smart ( - ) 11
Marr: 1927 - ? Venango Co, PA 11
General Notes: Husband - Charles L. Suhr
He was reared in Oil City, PA, obtaining his preparatory education in the public schools, and subsequently pursuing advanced studies at Philadelphia. On his return to Oil City he learned the refining business, becoming superintendent of the Penn American Refining Company, of which he became president and treasurer, his official associates being D. J. Cavanaugh, secretary, and L. D. Fulton, general superintendent. The plant was one of the largest refineries in that section, and Mr. Suhr showed himself quite fortunate as the heir of many of his father's business qualities as well as his responsibilities. Most of his business interests were in allied industries. He was vice president of The British American Oil Company of Toronto, Canada, and president of the Oil City Oil & Grease Company, which he assisted in founding. He was a director of the Oil City Trust Company. Mr. Suhr had very practical ideas on the value of wholesome social institutions and their effect on citizenship and proper standards of life in all its associations, and he was a hearty supporter of the Y. M. C. A. work in his city, serving as a director of the association. Though he had no particular taste for public duties he served a term in the city council at a time when he felt that he could do some good in that position, and there are other services to his credit which make it unnecessary to defend his title to public spirit or good will in his relations to his fellow men. Fraternally he was a Mason, affiliated with Petrolia Lodge No. 363, F. & A. M.; Oil City Chapter No. 236, R. A. M.; Talbot Commandery No. 43, K. T.; Venango Lodge of Perfection; and Lu Lu Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. of Philadelphia. He was a vestryman in the Good Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church of Oil City. [HVC 1919, 619]
After attending the public schools he began earning his own livelihood in 1892 in a clerical capacity with the Penn Refining Company. He quickly realized that he would learn little of the practical side of the in-dustry at office work, and therefore left to enter the re-finery of the Germania Refining Company. After two years he applied for a leave of absence to study chemistry in the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. In the spring of 1898 Mr. Suhr returned to Rouseville, and shortly after was appointed superintendent of the plant, a post he filled most capably until May 17, 1904, when he became general manager of the corporation. He was elected president on October 20, 1916.
Some history of the growth of a company may be of value here. The Germania Refining Company was or-ganized in January, 1894, to take over the old Valley Oil Works, a lubricating oil refinery at Rouseville, Venango County, Pennsylvania, being incorporated by Henry Suhr, E. McCracken, C. Simmons, C. H. Duncan and Louis Walz, all Oil City men. In 1914 the Penn Refining Com-pany and the Germania Refining Company were merged under the name of the Germania Refining Company. In April, 1917, the name of the corporation was changed to the Penn American Refining Company.
In 1908 Mr. Suhr, with the late D. J. Cavanaugh, of Rouseville, became interested in a small marketing com-pany which was organized for the purpose of selling lubri-cating oils. It was known as the Oil City Oil & Grease Company. Several local gentlemen besides Mr. Cavanaugh and Mr. Suhr were also interested and in the following year R. A. Browne, of New Castle, Pennsylvania, now secre-tary of the Pennzoil Company, became associated with the company and was elected general manager. In 1913 the Oil City Oil & Grease Company established a subsidiary company in California, in which they retained a majority interest, the balance of the stock having been sold to L. H. Johnson, Norman M. Day, and several others, all resi-dents of Los Angeles and employed by the company. The name of this corporation was originally the Panama Lu-bricants Company and later on its name was changed to the Pennzoil Company (of California). The first presi-dent, L. H. Johnson, died in May, 1939, and he was suc-ceeded by Norman M. Day, who passed away in February of 1943. He was succeeded by J. B. Beman, of Los Angeles.
The name of the Oil City Oil & Grease Company was changed on January 21, 1922, to the Pennzoil Company. On October 30, 1924, the Penn American Refining Com-pany and the Pennzoil Company merged under the name of the Pennzoil Company, and Mr. Suhr continued as president until 1935 when he was elected chairman of the board.
Mr. Suhr was president of the National Petroleum Association from 1933 to 1939 and at this time is execu-tive vice-president and a trustee of that association. He was a director of the American Petroleum Institute. He was also a member and director of the Oil City Trust Com-pany, and for many years was vice-president and a director of the British-American Oil Company of To-ronto, Ontario. Fraternally, he was a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, a member of all the higher bodies of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, including the thirty-second degree. He was a member of the city council from 1907 to 1911. He was identified with the Young Men's Christian Association for many years and at present was a trustee of the local association. He was a member of the Good Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church and was a trustee for many years. He al-ways taken a keen interest in civic affairs. He was chair-man of the War Chest Committee of the first World War, and was at various times a director of the Chamber of Commerce and the Oil City Community Fund. [HNP, 74]