Waite Phillips
Waite Phillips (
January 191883–
January 271964) was the younger brother of
Lee Eldas "L.E." Phillips and
Frank Phillips, who founded
Phillips Petroleum. Waite Phillips married Genevieve Elliot in the home of her parents, Mr. & Mrs. J.B. Elliott, on March 30, 1909, in Nashville, Lee County, Iowa.
Waite had a twin brother, Wiate, who died at nineteen. Waite would use his oil rights to form the Waite Phillips Petroleum Co, but mainly got involved in real estate and banking.
In
Tulsa, Oklahoma, he built several office complexes, such as the
Philtower and
Philcade, as well as his mansion, the
Italian Renaissance style
Villa Philbrook. He would later donate his immense house to the city of Tulsa, where it was transformed into the
Philbrook Museum of Art. All these buildings are on the
National Register of Historic Places.
Interested in ranching, and in having a ranch with recreational activities, he began purchasing land in northern
New Mexico near
Cimmarron, which he named Philmont Ranch. Then, he built a mansion there called
Villa Philmonte. A restless soul, he would later donate most of the ranch to the
Boy Scouts of America to found
Philmont Scout Ranch. He also donated the
Philtower Building to the Boy Scouts and contributed substantially to the
University of Southern California. Upon his wife Genevive's death on
June 19, 1979, the bulk of the remaining estate was also donated to educational and medical charities.
He also owned a strech of land in California, that was later developed into Rodeo Drive, known for its upperclass shopping.
*
Bio on Phillips*
Des Moines Register article on Phillips*
Tulsa Preservation Commission Listing of historic buildings
