William Herbert Hunt obit

Oil Baron, Philanthropist William Herbert Hunt Dies at 95

 

He was not on the list.

Oil baron and philanthropist William Herbert Hunt, a leader both in the petroleum industry and Dallas community, died April 9 at the age of 95.

A celebration of Hunt’s life will take place at 3 p.m. on April 23 at Highland Park Presbyterian Church, where he was a long-time member and served as a deacon and elder, according to a Dallas Morning News obituary.

Hunt “was the last surviving original inductee of the All-American Wildcatters, and he lived by the AAW creed ‘My Word is My Bond,’” according to the obituary.

Over a long career in oil and gas exploration and the oil services industry, Hunt contributed to numerous discoveries and field developments, as well as served on multiple industry organizations. He was a leader in real estate development whose reach extended beyond north Texas to Arizona and California, according to the obituary.

An avid philanthropist, Hunt served as president of the Boy Scouts of America Circle Ten Council from 1984-86, the Presbyterian Hospital Building Corporation from 1985-1990, and for many years on the board of Wadley Blood Bank, which is now part of Carter Blood Care, according to the obituary.

Hunt is survived by his wife, Nancy, five children, 16 grandchildren, and 35 great-grandchildren.

In the 1970s Hunt and his brother Nelson Bunker Hunt acquired 195 million ounces of silver, worth nearly $10 billion at the peak. When the price of silver collapsed 80% in 1980 the brothers lost their fortune in the silver trading scandal called Silver Thursday; together they lost a billion dollars. William Herbert Hunt went bankrupt in 1990, but was able to recover years later.

In 2012, Hunt sold a minor portion of Petro-Hunt's assets in the Williston Basin to Halcon Resources for $1.45 billion, lifting his net wealth to an estimated $3 billion. Petro-Hunt continues to operate in the Williston Basin, Permian/Delaware Basins and other basins across the US. He is the brother of former Kansas city Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt.