The origin of Kirkpatrick Oil Company dates to the 1920s when John E. Kirkpatrick’s father-in-law, Mack Blake, purchased oil and gas royalties in Gray County, Texas, and Reno County, Kansas. In 1946, Blake hired Kirkpatrick & Bale to drill four wells on a 160-acre farm near Pampa, Texas, that he’d purchased back in 1926. Kirkpatrick & Bale received only a drilling fee for those wells, but that gave them the capital to get started.

After attending Harvard Business School in 1936 and serving his country as an officer in the Navy during World War II, Kirkpatrick set up his own oil and gas company, known today as Kirkpatrick Oil Company. The business grew prolifically in the 1950s, and subsidiary opportunities arose: Kirkpatrick Supply, Kirkpatrick Well Servicing, Jennings Engine Supply, and Kirkpatrick Oil & Gas were formed.

In 1957, Kirkpatrick Oil Company sold several of its oil and gas holdings, which paid off company debt and allowed John and his wife, Eleanor, to focus on civic activities in Oklahoma City.

In 1995, Kirkpatrick’s grandson, Christian Keesee purchased the company. As Chairman, Keesee’s vision has led to increased professionalism in personnel, a new office building for our headquarters in Oklahoma City, the acquisition of El Dorado Drilling Company, and most recently, constructing a new district office in downtown Hennessey, Oklahoma.

Today, Kirkpatrick Oil Company remains a well-established, family-owned oil and natural gas exploration and production company. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the company operates three district offices, located in Denver, Colorado; Midland, Texas; and Hennessey, Oklahoma.

Aside from business ventures, the Kirkpatrick family continues its focus on philanthropic endeavors through two foundations: the Kirkpatrick Family Fund and the Kirkpatrick Foundation, both foundations support the arts, culture, social services, education, animal welfare and the environment in central Oklahoma.