Los Angeles County
Biographies
RALPH ARNOLD
ARNOLD, RALPH, Consulting Geologist and Petroleum Engineer, Los Angeles, California, and New York City, was born in Marshalltown, Iowa, April 14, 1875, the son of Delos Arnold, a native of new York State and Hannah Richardson (Mercer) Arnold, of Ohio. He married Frankie Winninette Stokes, daughter of Frank Stokes and Oraletta (Newell) Stokes, of South Pasadena, California, July 12, 1899. Mr. Arnold’s father was one of the early pioneers of Iowa and later in life attained distinction in scientific and political circles.
When he was about five years of age, Mr. Arnold’s parents transferred their home to California, locating at Pasadena, and he has maintained his residence in that city ever since. From his early childhood, a considerable part of which was spent in traveling, Mr. Arnold took a deep interest in scientific subjects and in this was encouraged by his parents, with the result that almost his entire life has been devoted to science and he stands today among the distinguished scientific men of the United States. His first efforts were along the lines of ornithology and oology, and as a result of these early studies he still retains one of the finest collections of California birds and eggs in that State. His general education was thorough and complete. Beginning with attendance in the grammar schools of Pasadena, California, he was graduated from the Pasadena High School in 1894 and from Throop Polytechnic Institute in 1896. He received the degree of Bachelor of Arts from Leland Stanford, Jr. University in 1899, Master of Arts in 1900, and Doctor of Philosophy in 1902.
Mr. Arnold was Assistant in Mineralogy at Stanford University 1898-1899, and Assistant in Geology 1900-1903; Physical Director and Instructor in Physics and Chemistry at Hoitt’s School, Menlo Park, California, 1899-1900. He held an appointment as Field Assistant on the U. S. Geological Survey from 1900-1903, and beginning with 1903 devoted his entire time to this bureau, holding the position of Geologic Aid 1903-1905, Paleontologist 1905-1908, Geologist 1908-1909. His work for the Government included a reconnaissance of the Tertiary formations of the Pacific Coast of the United States, and following this he was put in charge of the Government’s investigations in the California oil fields. Mr. Arnold resigned from the Government service on June 1, 1909, and since that time the sphere of his professional activities has gradually expanded to include most of the oil fields of the United States, Mexico and South America.
During the time he has been in private practice, Mr. Arnold, in addition to his strictly technical activities, has assisted in devising plans for financing several large enterprises, a class of work requiring the highest type of engineering and financial ability. In his professional capacity he has rendered service to many individual oil companies and syndicates, many of them of foreign personnel, and has been connected with most of the important California oil deals consummated within recent years.
Among his more important works have been the preparation of reports and appraisals used in financing the following: Union Oil Company of California, Esperanza Consolidated Oil Company (now the General Petroleum Company), Palmer Union Oil Company, Midwest Oil Company (of Wyoming), various companies controlled by W. P, Hammon in California and John Hays Hammond in Mexico, and properties held under option by the South Africa Gold Fields, Ltd., in Trinidad. The listing of the securities of the Mexican Petroleum Company and the California Petroleum corporation on the New York Stock Exchange was due in large measure to Mr. Arnold’s reports on the holdings of these companies. The most important work that Mr. Arnold has yet undertaken is the organization and direction of an economic geologic survey of the oil resources of Venezuela, probably the most extensive operation of its kind ever undertaken in South America, no less than twenty-five American geologists and numerous natives being employed in the investigations.
Mr. Arnold has served as Consulting Geologist and Engineer for the General Asphalt Company and its subsidiaries, the New York and Bermudez, Trinidad Lake and Caribbean petroleum companies, and for the Oak Ridge, Montebello, Alliance, Esperanza Consolidated, Coalinga Kettleman, and many other California oil companies. He is a Director of the Pan-American Hardwoods Company, and professional correspondent of Thompson & Hunter of London, England. He also serves the United States Bureau of Mines in the capacity of Consulting Petroleum Engineer and holds a temporary scientific assignment (1912-13) with the United States Geological Survey.
Despite the multiplicity of his duties, Mr. Arnold continues a student of scientific affairs and in addition to the actual professional achievements with which he is credited, has been a prolific writer on technical subjects. Some of the more important contributions to science from the pen of Mr. Arnold are the following:
“The Paleontology and Straitigraphy of the Marine Pliocene and Pleistocene of San Pedro, California,” a memoir of the California Academy of Sciences, consisting of 400 pages and fifty plates; “Recent and Fossil Pectens of California,” Professional Paper, No. 47, United States Geological Survey; “Fossils of the Coalinga District, California,” Bulletin No. 396, U. S. Geological Survey.
He also was co-author, in collaboration, with George H. Eldridge, Robert Anderson, and H. R. Johnson, of seven Bulletins of the United States Geological Survey—Nos. 309, 317, 321, 322, 357, 398 and 406—descriptive of the California oil fields and various phases of the oil industry; and aside from these, has written more than fifty other articles and papers relating to the geology, paleontology, oil and other mineral resources of California, Oregon, Washington, and Trinidad, British West Indies, published in various scientific and technical publications.
Mr. Arnold is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, of the Paleontological Society of America, of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, of the Geological Society (London), and of the Royal Geographical Society of Great Britain. He is a member of the Mining and Metallurgical Society, American Institute of Mining Engineers, California Academy of Sciences, National Geographic Society, Washington (D.C.) Academy of Sciences, Geological Society of Washington, Biological Society of Washington, Seismological Society of America, Malacological Society of London, Cooper Ornithological Club, and the Le Conte Geological Club.
Aside from his professional and technical affiliations, Mr. Arnold belongs to the Cosmos Club of Washington, D.C., and was a charter member of the University Club of the same city, resigning when he left the Capital. His other clubs are the Gamut of Los Angeles and the famous Growlers, of Coalinga California.
Transcribed 10-24-09
Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: Press
Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 345, International News Service, New York, Chicago, San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta.
1913.
© 2009 Marilyn R. Pankey.
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