Leon Hess | |
|---|---|
 Hess c. 1980s | |
| Born | March 14, 1914 Asbury Park, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | May 7, 1999 (aged 85) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Founder of the Hess Corporation Owner of the New York Jets |
| Spouse | Norma Wilentz |
| Children | Marlene Hess Zirin Constance H. Williams John B. Hess |
Leon Hess (March 14, 1914 – May 7, 1999) was an American businessman, the founder of the Hess Corporation and the owner of the New York Jets. Hess built an oil terminal in New Jersey after the Great Depression, building his first refinery in the late 1950s. He sold his company, Hess Oil and Chemical, in 1963 and joined a consortium to buy the New York Jets. Hess was responsible for moving the Jets to Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1984.
In 1969, Hess acquired Amerada Petroleum Corporation, one of the largest producers of crude oil in the United States. The acquisition saw Amerada merging with Hess Oil and Chemical to form the Amerada Hess Corporation. Hess was chairman and CEO until 1995. He died at the age of 85 on May 7, 1999. Hess was posthumously inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2011.