Gulf Oil

This article is about the historical oil company. For the marketer of Gulf-branded fuel in the United States, see Gulf Oil LP.

Gulf Oil
Company typePublic
IndustryPetroleum industry
FoundedJanuary 30, 1907; 117 years ago (1907-01-30)
DefunctMarch 15, 1985; 39 years ago (1985-03-15)
FateAcquired by Standard Oil of California, rebranded as Chevron
SuccessorChevron; brand owned by Gulf Oil International and Gulf Oil LP
HeadquartersGulf Tower,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
ProductsFuels
Lubricants
Greases

Gulf Oil was a major global oil company in operation from 1901 to 1985.[1] The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the Seven Sisters oil companies. Prior to its merger with Standard Oil of California, Gulf was one of the chief instruments of the Mellon family fortune; both Gulf and Mellon Financial had their headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with Gulf's headquarters, the Gulf Tower, being Pittsburgh's tallest building until the completion of the U.S. Steel Tower.

Gulf Oil Corporation (GOC) ceased to exist as an independent company in 1985, when it merged with Standard Oil of California (SOCAL), with both re-branding as Chevron in the United States. Gulf Canada, Gulf's main Canadian subsidiary, was sold the same year with retail outlets to Ultramar and Petro-Canada and what became Gulf Canada Resources to Olympia & York.[2][3] However, the Gulf brand name and a number of the constituent business divisions of GOC survived. Gulf has experienced a significant revival since 1990, emerging as a flexible network of allied business interests based on partnerships, franchises and agencies.

Gulf, in its present incarnation, is a "new economy" business. It employs very few people directly and its assets are mainly in the form of intellectual property: brands, product specifications and scientific expertise. The rights to the brand in the United States are owned by Gulf Oil Limited Partnership (GOLC), which operates over 2,100 service stations and several petroleum terminals; it is headquartered in Wellesley, Massachusetts. The corporate vehicle at the center of the Gulf network outside the United States, Spain and Portugal is Gulf Oil International, a company owned by the Hinduja Group. The company's focus is primarily in the provision of downstream products and services to a mass market through joint ventures, strategic alliances, licensing agreements, and distribution arrangement.[4] In Spain and Portugal, the Gulf brand is now owned by TotalEnergies SE.[5]

  1. ^ FTC Approves Chevron Merger on Chicago Tribune, March 15, 1985
  2. ^ "Ultramar.ca history". Archived from the original on August 22, 2012.
  3. ^ Gulf Canada Resources, Canadian Encyclopedia article. Retrieved 2014-07-30.
  4. ^ GOI website: – extract from Gulf Oil mission statement Archived December 5, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "La Marca GULF - TOTAL España". www.total.es. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2018.