View source for Texaco

{{Short description|American petroleum brand owned by Chevron Corporation}}
{{hatnote group|
{{Distinguish|Texico (disambiguation){{!}}Texico|Texcoco (disambiguation){{!}}Texcoco}}
{{For|the novel by Patrick Chamoiseau|Texaco (novel){{!}}''Texaco'' (novel)}}
{{Redirect|Sky Chief|the 1940s wristwatch|Benrus}}
}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Texaco, Inc.
| former_names = {{plainlist|
* The Texas Company (1902–1959)<ref name=hist>[https://www.texaco.com/history#:~:text=OUR%20STAR%20IS%20BORN&text=Texaco%20was%20born%20in%20Beaumont,it%20became%20our%20favorite%20nickname. About The Texas Company] on Texaco website</ref>
* Texaco (1959–2001)
* ChevronTexaco (2001–2005)<ref name="Chevron-Corp-May-2005-8-K">{{cite web|url=http://pdf.secdatabase.com/59/0000950149-05-000327.pdf |title=Chevron Corp, Form 8-K, Current Report, Filing Date May 10, 2005 |publisher=secdatabase.com |access-date =March 24, 2013}}</ref>
}}
| logo = Texaco logo.svg
| logo_size = 250
| type = {{Plainlist|
* [[Privately held company|Private]] (1902–2001)
* [[Subsidiary]] (2001–2005)
* [[Brand]] (since 2005)
}}
| fate = Acquired by [[Chevron Corporation]] in October 2001,<ref name=sfg>[https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/THE-CHEVRON-TEXACO-MERGER-An-oil-giant-2870161.php Shareholders approval of Chevron-Texaco deal creates industry's lates behemoth] by George Raine at SFGate</ref> changed to "ChevronTexaco" until 2005, when it became a [[brand]] of it<ref name="Chevron-Corp-May-2005-8-K"/>
| industry = [[Petroleum industry|Petroleum]]
| foundation = {{start date and age|1902}} (as Texas Fuel Company) in [[Beaumont, Texas]], [[United States|U.S.]]<ref name=hist/>
| founders = {{Plainlist|
* [[Joseph S. Cullinan]]
* [[Lewis Henry Lapham]]
* [[Arnold Schlaet]]
}}
| hq_location = [[Texaco Headquarters]]
| location_city = [[White Plains, New York]]
| locations = 2,000+ (2006)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.texaco.com/about-timeline.aspx|title=History of Texaco - Texaco With Techron|access-date=2015-10-20|archive-date=2013-07-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708122727/http://www.texaco.com/about-timeline.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref><!--TO SEE THE SOURCE, GO TO THE TIMELINE AND SCROLL ONTO THE TIMELINE ONTO 2006–PRESENT)-->
| area_served = Worldwide
| products = [[Gasoline]], [[natural gas]], [[motor oil]]s, other [[petrochemical]]s
| owner = [[Chevron Corporation]] (2001–present)
| parent = 
| subsid = [[Indian Refining Company|Indian Oil Co.]] (1931–1943)
| brands = [[Havoline]] (1931–2001)
| homepage = {{URL|https://www.texaco.com|texaco.com}}
}}

'''Texaco, Inc.''' ("The '''Texa'''s '''Co'''mpany") is an American [[Petroleum|oil]] [[brand]] owned and operated by [[Chevron Corporation]].<ref>[https://www.chevron.com/operations/products-services/fuel-stations Chevron fuel brands and stations] on Chevron website (retr. 2022–6–11)</ref> Its flagship product is its [[Gasoline|fuel]] "Texaco with [[Techron]]". It also owned the [[Havoline]] [[motor oil]] brand. Texaco was an [[Independent business|independent company]] until its refining operations merged into Chevron in 2001, at which time most of its station franchises were divested to [[Shell plc]] through [[Shell USA|its American division]]. It was one of the first [[gas stations]] to exist.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Texaco {{!}} Texaco (US) |url=https://www.texaco.com/en_us/home/about-texaco.html |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=www.texaco.com}}</ref>

Texaco began as the "Texas Fuel Company", founded in 1902<ref name=":0" /> in [[Beaumont, Texas]], by [[Joseph S. Cullinan]], Thomas J. Donoghue, and [[Arnold Schlaet]] upon the discovery of oil at [[Spindletop]]. The Texas Fuel Company was not set up to drill wells or to produce crude oil. To accomplish this, Cullinan organized the Producers Oil Company in 1902, as a group of investors affiliated with The Texas Fuel Company. Men such as John W. ("Bet A Million") Gates invested in "certificates of interest" to an amount of almost ninety thousand dollars.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gish |first1=Elton N. |title=HISTORY of THE TEXAS COMPANY And PORT ARTHUR WORKS Refinery |url=https://www.texacohistory.com/History/ |access-date=4 September 2018}}</ref> Future restructuring would merge Producers Oil Company and The Texas Fuel Company as Texaco when the company needed additional funding, which J.W. Gates provided in the amount of approximately $590,000 in return for company stock.

Texaco was one of the [[Seven Sisters (oil companies)|Seven Sisters]] which dominated the global petroleum industry from the mid-1940s to the 1970s. Its current logo features a white star in a red circle (a reference to the [[Flag of Texas|lone star]] of Texas), leading to the long-running advertising jingles "You can trust your car to the man who wears the star" and "Star of the American Road."{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}} The company was headquartered in [[Harrison, New York]], near [[White Plains, New York|White Plains]], prior to the merger with Chevron.

Texaco gasoline comes with Techron, an additive developed by Chevron, as of 2005, replacing the previous CleanSystem3. The Texaco brand is strong in the U.S., Latin America, and West Africa. It has a presence in Europe as well; for example, it is a well-known retail brand in the UK, with around 980 Texaco-branded service stations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Texaco UK Station Locator |url=https://texaco.co.uk/ |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=texaco.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>

==History==
===1902–59: Beginnings===
[[File:Texas Company Building -- Houston.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|Texas Company Building at 1111 Rusk St. in Houston. The company moved to larger facilities in 1989]]
[[File:Texas company galveston.jpg|thumb|The Texas Company [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]] station, c. 1910–1920]]

Texaco was founded in [[Beaumont, Texas]] as the "Texas Fuel Company" in 1902,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=http://www.texaco.com/about.html |title=About |access-date=2018-04-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161015201958/http://www.texaco.com/about.html |archive-date=2016-10-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref> by [[Jim Hogg]], [[Joseph S. Cullinan]], [[John Warne Gates]], and [[Arnold Schlaet]]. On 1 May 1902, the Texas Company was formed from the assets of Texas Fuel assets, and additional [[market capitalization|capitalization]].<ref name=jl>{{cite book |last1=Linsley |first1=Judith |last2=Rienstrad |first2=Ellen |last3=Stiles |first3=Jo |title=Giant Under the Hill, A History of the Spindletop Oil Discovery at Beaumont, Texas in 1901 |date=2002 |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |location=Austin |isbn=9780876112366 |pages=188–195}}</ref> In 1905, it established an operation in [[Antwerp]], [[Belgium]], under the name Continental Petroleum Company, which it acquired control of in 1913.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=5GznAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA95 News of the Week: Union Oil of Delaware], ''Business Digest and Investment Weekly'', Volume 26, Issue 5, Arthur Fremont Rider (editor), 1920, p. 95 (retrieved August 2, 2010 from [[Google Books]])</ref> In 1915, Texaco moved to new 13 story offices on 1111 Rusk St., Houston, Texas. In 1928, Texaco became the first U.S. oil company to sell its gasoline nationwide under one single brand name in all of the then 48 states.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.texacobaltic.eu/en/texaco_history|title=History of Texaco &#124; Texaco engine oils and lubricants|website=www.texacobaltic.eu|access-date=2019-02-02|archive-date=2019-02-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202171446/http://www.texacobaltic.eu/en/texaco_history|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Texaco Plakat.jpg|thumb|150px|TEXACO MOTOR OIL Poster (1928)]]
{{multiple image
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|image1 = Texaco advertising, Gippsland Motor Garage, Old Gippstown.JPG
|caption1 = Antique Texaco advertising, Gippsland Motor Garage, [[Old Gippstown]]
|image2 = Texaco petrol pump 1925.jpg
|caption2 = Vintage Texaco gas pump (1925)
|footer =
}}

In 1931, Texaco purchased the [[Indian Oil Company]], based in Illinois. This expanded Texaco's refining and marketing base in the Midwest and also gave Texaco the rights to Indian's [[Havoline]] motor oil, which became a Texaco product. The next year, Texaco introduced Fire Chief gasoline nationwide, a so-called "super-octane" motor fuel touted as meeting or exceeding government standards for gasoline for [[fire engine]]s and other emergency vehicles.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3318442/texaco_fire_chief_superoctane_gasoline/ "Depend on the Gasoline Fire Engines Depend On! Texaco Fire Chief Super-Octane Gasoline"], ''Albany Democrat-Herald'', May 27, 1932, p. 4. (Ad.)</ref> It was promoted through a radio program over NBC hosted by [[Ed Wynn]], called the ''[[The Fire Chief (radio program)|Texaco Fire Chief]]''.

In 1936, the Texas Corporation purchased the [[Barco oil concession]] in [[Colombia]], and formed a joint venture with Socony-Vacuum, now [[Mobil]], to develop it. Over the next three years the company engaged in a highly challenging project to drill wells and build a pipeline to the coast across mountains and then through uncharted swamps and jungles.<ref>{{cite magazine|pages=15ff
 |title=U.S. Business Opens the Great New Barco Oil Fields in Colombia|magazine=LIFE|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8kEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA15|access-date=2013-07-24
 |date=1939-11-13|volume=7|issue=20|publisher=Time Inc|issn=0024-3019}}</ref> During this time, Texaco also illegally supplied the fascist [[Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War)|Nationalist faction]] in the [[Spanish Civil War]] with a total {{convert|3500000|oilbbl}} of oil.<ref name= "Tierney2007">{{cite book|last=Tierney|first=Dominic|title=FDR and the Spanish Civil War: neutrality and commitment in the struggle that divided America|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LgkuIcArK6sC&pg=PA68|access-date=June 11, 2010|year=2007|publisher=Duke University Press|page=68|chapter=American Men, American Oil, American Arms|isbn=978-0822340768}}</ref> For these illegal sales to [[Francisco Franco]]'s fascist forces the company was fined $20,000 for violating the [[Neutrality Acts of the 1930s#Neutrality Act of 1937|Neutrality Act]] of 1937, although it continued to sell to Franco on credit until the end of the war.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tierney |first1=Dominic |title=FDR and the Spanish Civil War: Neutrality and Commitment in the Struggle that Divided America |date=2007 |page=68 |publisher=Duke University Press}}</ref>

Also in 1936, marketing operations "East of Suez" (including Asia, East Africa, and Australasia) were placed into a joint venture with [[Standard Oil Company of California]] – Socal (now [[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]]) – under the brand name [[Caltex]], in exchange for Socal placing its [[Bahrain refinery]] and Arabian oilfields into the venture.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Yergin |first1=Daniel |title=The Prize, The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power |date=1991 |publisher=Touchstone |location=New York |isbn=9780671799328 |pages=299}}</ref>  The next year, Texaco commissioned industrial designer [[Walter Dorwin Teague]] to develop a modern service station design.

[[File:HFM 1939 Dodge Texaco tanker truck.jpg|thumb|1939 Texaco tanker truck by [[Dodge]] on display at the [[Henry Ford Museum]]]]

In 1938, Texaco introduced Sky Chief gasoline, a premium fuel developed from the ground up as a high-octane gasoline rather than just an ethylized regular product. In 1939, Texaco became one of the first oil companies to introduce a "Registered Rest Room" program to ensure that restroom facilities at all Texaco stations nationwide maintained a standard level of cleanliness to the motoring public.

After the onset of [[World War II]] in 1939, Texaco's CEO, [[Torkild Rieber]], admirer of Hitler, hired pro-Nazi assistants who cabled Berlin "coded information about ships leaving New York for Britain and what their cargoes were." This espionage easily enabled Hitler to destroy the ships.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/03/books/review/spain-in-our-hearts-by-adam-hochschild.html {{"'}}Spain in Our Hearts,' by Adam Hochschild"], Book Review by Michael Kazin, ''The New York Times'', March 29, 2016.</ref> In 1940, Rieber was forced to resign when his connections with [[Nazi Germany|German Nazism]], and his illegal supply of oil to the [[Francoist Spain|fascist forces]] during the [[Spanish Civil War]] were made public by the ''Herald Tribune'' through information produced by [[British Security Coordination]].<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LgkuIcArK6sC&q=%22Thorkild%20Rieber%22%20texaco&pg=PA68| title=FDR and the Spanish Civil War: neutrality and commitment in the struggle that divided America| first=Dominic| last=Tierney| page=68| language=fr| isbn=978-0-8223-4076-8|year=2007| publisher=Duke University Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| url=https://archive.org/details/understandingpow00chom_0| title=Understanding Power| first=Noam| last=Chomsky| page=[https://archive.org/details/understandingpow00chom_0/page/159 159], Chapter 5 footnotes 61–64| isbn=978-1-5658-4703-3| year=2001| publisher=The New Press| url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>''The Secret History of British Intelligence in the Americas, 1940-1945'' pp56-57</ref> Life Magazine portrayed Rieber's resignation as unfair, advocating that he only  dined with [[Gerhard Alois Westrick|Westrick]], and lent him a company car.

[[File:Ame05198 04.jpg|thumb|Historic gasoline pumps at the [[Ambler's Texaco Gas Station]], [[Dwight, Illinois]]]]

During the war, Texaco ranked 93rd among United States corporations in the value of military production contracts.<ref>[[Whiz Kids (Department of Defense)|Peck, Merton J.]] & [[Frederic M. Scherer|Scherer, Frederic M.]] ''The Weapons Acquisition Process: An Economic Analysis'' (1962) [[Harvard Business School]] p.619</ref> In 1947, Caltex expanded to include Texaco's European marketing operations. That same year, Texaco merged its British operation with Trinidad Leaseholds under the name Regent; it gained full control of Regent in 1956,<ref>Report by the Monopolies Commission on the Supply of Petrol to Retailers in the United Kingdom, 1965</ref> but the Regent brand remained in use until 1968–9. In 1954, the company added the detergent additive Petrox to its "Sky Chief" gasoline, which was also souped up with higher octane to meet the antiknock needs of new cars with high-compression engines.

The next year, Texaco became the sole sponsor of ''[[The Huntley-Brinkley Report]]'' on NBC-TV. In 1959, the Texas Company changed its corporate name to Texaco, Inc. to better reflect the value of the Texaco brand name, which represented the biggest selling gasoline brand in the U.S. and only marketer selling gasoline under one brand name in all (by then) 50 states. It also acquired [[McColl-Frontenac Oil Company]] Ltd. of Canada and changes its name to Texaco Canada Limited.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite encyclopedia| url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/texaco-canada-inc| title=Texaco Canada Inc| encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]| date=March 7, 2014| access-date=April 10, 2018| archive-date=April 12, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412001153/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/texaco-canada-inc/| url-status=live}}</ref> Around this time, [[Paragon Oil]], a major fuel oil distribution company in the northeastern U.S., was acquired.

===1964–98: Various ventures ===
In 1964, Texaco introduced the "Matawan" service station design at a station in [[Matawan, New Jersey]].<ref>[http://www.texaco.com/sitelets/history/history_stations.html Texaco: Service Stations], accessed November 23, 2006 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701084448/http://www.texaco.com/sitelets/history/history_stations.html |date=July 1, 2017 }}</ref> Two years later, Texaco replaced the long-running banjo sign with a new [[hexagon]] logo that had previously been test-marketed with the "Matawan" station design introduced two years earlier. The new logo featured a red outline with TEXACO in black bold lettering and a small banjo logo with a red star and green T at bottom. The following year, the Regent name was replaced by Texaco at British petrol stations.<ref name=Autocar1967>{{cite magazine|title=News and Views: Regent become Texaco|magazine=[[Autocar (magazine)|Autocar]] |volume=127 | issue = 3746 |page=48|date=November 30, 1967}}</ref> In 1970, in response to increasingly-stringent federal [[vehicle emissions standard]]s that would induce automakers to install [[catalytic converter]]s requiring equipped vehicles to run on unleaded gasoline, Texaco introduced their first regular-octane no-lead gasoline at stations in the Los Angeles area and throughout [[Southern California]]. Lead-Free Texaco became available nationwide in 1974. On November 20, 1980, the [[Lake Peigneur|Lake Peigneur/Jefferson Island disaster]] occurred. Two years later, a new service station design was introduced. Several product names were also changed with the advent of self-service, including Lead-free Texaco to Texaco Unleaded, [[Fire Chief]] to Texaco Regular, and Super Lead-free Sky Chief to Texaco Super Unleaded.

At the end of 1981 and the beginning of 1982, members of the Medellín Cartel (including [[Pablo Escobar]]), the Colombian military, the U.S.-based corporation [[Texas Petroleum]], the Colombian legislature, small industrialists, and wealthy cattle ranchers came together in a series of meetings in [[Puerto Boyacá]], and formed a [[paramilitarism in Colombia|paramilitary organization]] known as ''[[Muerte a Secuestradores]]'' ("Death to Kidnappers", MAS) to defend their economic interests, and to provide protection for local elites from kidnappings and extortion.<ref name="hrw-killnet-ii">HRW, 1996: [http://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/1996/killer2.htm "II. History of the Military-Paramilitary Partnership"]</ref><ref name="richani-systems-38">Richani, 2002: p.38</ref><ref name="blood-capital-65-68">Hristov, 2009: [https://books.google.com/books?id=cb49FuJaaCwC&pg=PA65 pp. 65-68]</ref> By 1983, Colombian internal affairs had registered 240 political killings by MAS death squads, mostly community leaders, elected officials, and farmers.<ref>Santina, Peter (Winter 1998–1999). "Army of Terror: The Legacy of US-Backed Human Rights Abuses in Colombia". ''[[Harvard International Review]]'', Vol. 21, Issue 1. pp. 40–43. {{JSTOR|42762494}}.</ref> 

On November 19, 1985, [[Pennzoil]] won a US$10.53-billion verdict against Texaco, the largest [[civil lawsuit|civil]] verdict in US history up to that date.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Glassman |first=James |title=The Houstorian Calendar: Today in Houston History |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-4396-6623-4 |pages=166 |language=en}}</ref> The court case sprang from Texaco having established a signed contract to buy [[Getty Oil]] after Pennzoil entered into an unsigned—yet binding—buyout contract with [[Gordon Getty]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia| url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Texaco-Inc| title=Texaco Inc. {{!}} American corporation| encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica| access-date=2018-04-10| date=February 19, 2014| language=en}}</ref> In 1987, Texaco filed for bankruptcy. It was the largest in U.S. history until 2001.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.bankruptcydata.com/Research/Largest_Overall_All-Time.pdf| title=Largest corporate bankruptcies| publisher=Bankruptcydata.com| access-date=2013-04-27| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904063625/http://www.bankruptcydata.com/Research/Largest_Overall_All-Time.pdf|archive-date=2015-09-04| url-status=dead}}</ref>

In January 1988, Texaco became the first major corporation in the UK to declare compulsory testing for [[HIV]], a decision denounced by the Lesbian and Gay Employment Rights organisation as 'disastrous, irresponsible and pointless.'<ref>{{cite news |title=Texaco test all new staff for HIV |work=Capital Gay |issue=326 |date=22 January 1988}}</ref> It was picketed by protesters from [[ACT UP]] London in March 1989, who also called for a British [[boycott]] of its petroleum products.<ref>{{cite news |title=Call to boycott Texaco petrol |work=Capital Gay |issue=384 |date=17 March 1989 |pages=1}}</ref>

In January 1989, Texaco and [[Saudi Aramco]] agreed to form a joint venture known as Star Enterprise in which Saudi Aramco would own a 50% share of Texaco's refining and marketing operations in the eastern U.S. and Gulf Coast.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/03/business/saudi-texaco-joint-venture.html|title=Saudi-Texaco Joint Venture|date=January 3, 1989|work=The New York Times| page=11|access-date=June 10, 2009}}</ref> In 1989, Texaco introduced System3 gasolines in all three grades of fuel, featuring the latest detergent additive technology to improve performance by reducing deposits that clog fuel injection systems. The Toronto-based Texaco Canada Incorporated subsidiary was sold to [[Imperial Oil]] with all Texaco Canada retail operations converted to the [[Esso]] brand.<ref>{{Cite web|last=DeMont|first=John |author-link=John DeMont |title=TEXACO CANADA SAYS GOODBYE {{!}} Maclean's {{!}} JANUARY 30, 1989|url=https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1989/1/30/texaco-canada-says-goodbye|access-date=2021-12-23|website=Maclean's {{!}} The Complete Archive|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-12-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223230602/https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1989/1/30/texaco-canada-says-goodbye|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Texaco Canada Inc {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/texaco-canada-inc|access-date=2021-12-23|website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca}}</ref> Two years later, the company was awarded the [[National Medal of Arts]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.arts.gov/honors/medals/last-name-all| title=National Medal of Arts| work=NEA| access-date=April 10, 2018| publisher=[[National Endowment for the Arts]]| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100120001719/http://www.nea.gov/honors/medals/medalists_year.html |archive-date=2010-01-20}}</ref> In 1993, several dozen tribal leaders and residents from the [[Ecuador]]an [[Amazon River|Amazon]] filed a billion-dollar class-action lawsuit against Texaco, as a result of massive ecological pollution of the area and rivers around Texaco's Ecuadorian [[offshore drilling]] sites, causing toxic [[contamination]] of approximately 30,000 residents.<ref>{{cite episode| url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103233560| title=Rain Forest Residents, Texaco Face Off In Ecuador| access-date=April 10, 2018| network=[[NPR]]| series=[[Morning Edition]]| date=April 30, 2009| last=Forero| first=Juan}}</ref>

In 1994, Texaco's System3 gasolines were replaced by new CleanSystem3 gasoline, marketed with claims of improved engine performance through additives designed to clean carbon from car-engine intake valves and combustion chambers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McInerney |first=Francis |title=The Total Quality Corporation: How 10 Major Companies Turned Quality and Environmental Challenges to Competitive Advantage in the 1990s |last2=White |first2=Sean |date=1995 |publisher=North River Ventures |isbn=978-0-525-93928-3 |location=New York |pages=61 |language=en}}</ref> In 1995, Texaco merged their Danish and Norwegian downstream operations with those of [[Norsk Hydro]] under the new brand HydroTexaco. This joint venture was sold in 2007 to Norwegian retail interests as [[YX Energi]], following the purchase of Hydro by [[Statoil]]. In 1996, Texaco paid over $170 million to settle [[racial discrimination]] lawsuits filed by [[African American|Black]] employees at the company. It was the largest racial-discrimination lawsuit settlement in the U.S. at the time, and was particularly damaging to Texaco's public relations when tapes were released of meetings with company executives planning to destroy incriminating evidence.<ref>{{cite news |date=16 November 1996|title=Texaco Settles Race Bias Suit for $176 Million|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-11-16-mn-65290-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506021943/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-11-16-mn-65290-story.html|archive-date=6 May 2019|last1=Mulligan|first1=Thomas S.|last2=Kraul|first2=Chris|access-date=15 October 2024}}</ref>

<gallery widths=200 heights=150>
File:Texaco gas pumps, Milford, Illinois (LOC).jpg|Texaco gas pumps in [[Milford, Illinois]], photographed in 1977
File:Cattoir Texaco, Arroyo Grande, California LCCN2017707343.tif|Station in [[Arroyo Grande, California]], 1977
File:Posto texaco poá.jpg|Texaco fuel station in [[Poá]] ([[São Paulo]]), [[Brazil]], 2009
</gallery>

===1999–present: Chevron Corporation===
In 1999, the company formed the joint venture Equilon with [[Shell Oil Company]], combining their Western and Midwestern U.S. refining and marketing.<ref name="oil geneaology">[http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/finance/mergers/stindex.html Aspects of the Refining/Marketing Joint Ventures of Shell Oil, Star Enterprises, and Texaco] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615132522/http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/finance/mergers/stindex.html |date=2010-06-15 }}, Retrieved on June 10, 2009.</ref> This gave rise to the 2006 [[U.S. Supreme Court]] [[United States antitrust law|antitrust]] case of ''[[Texaco Inc. v. Dagher]]'', which cleared both Texaco and Shell of any antitrust liability concerning the pricing of Equilon's gasoline. That same year, another joint venture, [[Motiva Enterprises]], was formed with Shell Oil Company and [[Saudi Aramco]] in which the Star Enterprise operations were merged with the Eastern and Gulf Coast U.S. refining and marketing operations of Shell.<ref name="oil geneaology"/>

In October 2000, [[Chevron Corporation]] agreed to buy Texaco for {{US$|36|link=yes}}{{nbsp}}billion (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US-GDP|36|2000|r=0}}&nbsp;billion in {{Inflation/year|US}}).<ref>{{Cite news |first1=Andrew Ross |last1=Sorkin |author-link1=Andrew Ross Sorkin |first2=Neela |last2=Banerjee |title=Chevron Agrees to Buy Texaco For Stock Valued at $36 Billion |work=[[The New York Times]] |department=Business |date=2000-10-16 |p=A1 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/16/business/chevron-agrees-to-buy-texaco-for-stock-valued-at-36-billion.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-10-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250819220629/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/16/business/chevron-agrees-to-buy-texaco-for-stock-valued-at-36-billion.html |archive-date=2025-08-19 |url-status=live}}</ref> The merger was completed October 9, 2001.<ref name=sfg/> As required by the FTC consent agreement,<ref>{{Cite web|title=FTC Consent Agreement Allows the Merger of Chevron Corp. and Texaco Inc., Preserves Market Competition|url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2001/09/ftc-consent-agreement-allows-merger-chevron-corp-and-texaco-inc|website=Federal Trade Commission|date=7 September 2001}}</ref> Texaco's interest in the Equilon and Motiva joint ventures were sold to Shell.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.vault.com/company-profiles/retail/texaco,-inc/company-overview| title=TEXACO INC.{{!}}Company Profile{{!}}Vault.com| work=Vault| access-date=2017-08-25| language=en| archive-date=2017-08-25| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825184633/http://www.vault.com/company-profiles/retail/texaco,-inc/company-overview| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2002/02/04/daily41.html| title=Shell to brand new U.S. gas stations| date=February 8, 2002| work=[[American City Business Journals|Houston Business Journal]]}}</ref> Shell began re-branding its Texaco stations as Shell the next year.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://driving.myfoxcharlotte.com/news_this_week/2002-05-08-1912-driving/index.html| title=Trust Your Car to the Man who Wears the... Shell| last=Nerad| first=Jack| date=May 8, 2002| work=Driving Today| access-date=March 24, 2009| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224120733/http://driving.myfoxcharlotte.com/news_this_week/2002-05-08-1912-driving/index.html| archive-date=February 24, 2012}}</ref> Around 2003, due to lack of demand, Texaco closed Refineria Panamá, a refinery in [[Colón, Panama]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.panamaamerica.com.pa/economia/refineria-panama-entre-rosas-y-espinas-80525|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216092755/https://m.panamaamerica.com.pa/economia/refineria-panama-entre-rosas-y-espinas-80525|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 16, 2019|title=Refinería Panamá, entre rosas y espinas|date=February 17, 2003|website=Panamá América}}</ref> In July 2004, Chevron regained non-exclusive rights to the Texaco brand name in the U.S.<ref>{{Cite press release| title=ChevronTexaco Welcomes Back the Texaco Retail Brand in the U.S.| publisher=ChevronTexaco| date=Jul 1, 2004| url=http://www.chevron.com/news/press/Release/?id=2004-07-01a| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303195359/http://www.chevron.com/news/press/Release/?id=2004-07-01a| archive-date=2016-03-03}}</ref> The following year, in August, Texaco introduced the Techron additive into its fuels in the U.S. and parts of Latin America.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Chevron Launches Texaco with Techron at Service Stations in U.S. |date=August 15, 2005 |url=http://www.texaco.com/about/news_press_081505.asp |access-date=June 12, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081026092940/http://www.texaco.com/about/news_press_081505.asp |archive-date=October 26, 2008}}</ref> In 2007, [[Delek Group|Delek]] Benelux took over marketing activities for Chevron in [[Benelux]], including 869 filling stations, mostly under the Texaco brand.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.delek-group.com/Content.aspx?Page=petroleum| title=Delek Petroleum, Ltd.| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227145652/http://www.delek-group.com/Content.aspx?Page=petroleum| archive-date=2008-12-27| publisher=Delek Petroleum}}</ref>  In 2010, Chevron ended retail operations in the Mid-Atlantic US, removing its brand from 450 stations in Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, New Jersey, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania,  Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cspnet.com/news/fuels/articles/eastern-withdrawal-chevron| title=Eastern Withdrawal for Chevron| first=Angel| last=Abcede| journal=CSP Magazine| date=December 7, 2009| access-date=July 29, 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722103759/http://www.cspnet.com/news/fuels/articles/eastern-withdrawal-chevron| archive-date=July 22, 2012| url-status=dead}}</ref>

<gallery widths=200 heights=130>
File:Texaco Gas Station (5699751015).jpg|A Texaco station in California, 2011
File:Texaco, Old Chester Road, Bebington.jpg|Texaco station in [[Bebington]], [[United Kingdom|UK]], 2018
</gallery>

==Corporate headquarters==
Prior to the merger with Chevron, Texaco's headquarters was a {{convert|750000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} building in [[Harrison, New York|Harrison]], in [[Westchester County, New York]], near [[White Plains, New York|White Plains]].<ref name="Brenner">{{cite news|last=Brenner|first=Elsa|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/31/nyregion/in-business-morgan-stanley-seals-deal-on-texaco-headquarters.html|title=Morgan Stanley Seals Deal on Texaco Headquarters|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 31, 2002|access-date=April 16, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Contact Us |url=http://www.texaco.com/compinfo/contactus_main.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981205180053/http://www.texaco.com/compinfo/contactus_main.htm |archive-date=December 5, 1998 |publisher=Texaco |access-date=April 16, 2021}}</ref><!--The address says White Plains, but the HQ is actually in Harrison--> In 2002, Chevron Corporation sold the former [[Texaco Headquarters]] to [[Morgan Stanley]]. Morgan Stanley bought the building and the surrounding {{convert|107|acre|ha}} for $42 million.<ref name="Brenner"/>

Texaco leased 14 floors of the [[Chrysler Building]] in [[Midtown Manhattan]], [[New York City]] in the 1930s. As part of the leasing agreement with Texaco the building opened the [[Cloud Club]], a lunch club for executives. Texaco's move to Westchester County in 1977 contributed to the closure of the Cloud Club in 1979.<ref name=McGrathLunchClub>{{cite news|last=McGrath|first=Charles|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/26/garden/a-lunch-club-for-the-higherups.html|title=A Lunch Club for the Higher-Ups|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 26, 2005|access-date=April 16, 2021}}</ref>

==Sponsorships==
===Sports===
[[File:mansell cart.jpg|thumb|Racing driver [[Nigel Mansell]] driving in the 1993 CART [[Champ Car|IndyCar]] World Series]]
[[File:Kenseth and Irwin at Dover 1998.jpg|thumb|[[Kenny Irwin Jr.]] driving in the [[1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1998]] [[NASCAR]] [[Winston Cup Series ]]]]
[[File:Ford Sierra RS 500 1.jpg|thumb|The No.7 [[Eggenberger Motorsport]] [[Ford Sierra RS500]] of [[Klaus Ludwig]] and [[Klaus Niedzwiedz]]. Eggenberger Motorsport won the 1987 WTCC Entrants Championship]]

Texaco is associated with the [[Havoline]] brand of motor oil and other automotive products. It was one of the sponsors of [[NASCAR]] with many drivers, such as [[Davey Allison]], [[Ernie Irvan]], [[Dale Jarrett]], [[Kenny Irwin Jr.]], [[Ricky Rudd]], [[Jamie McMurray]], [[Casey Mears]], and [[Juan Pablo Montoya]]. Havoline continuously sponsored a car from the early 1980s to 2008. At the end of the 2008 season, Texaco/Havoline ended their sponsorship with NASCAR and [[Chip Ganassi Racing]]. This brought a 20-plus-year relationship with the sport to a close.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-08-19 |title=Texaco leaving Montoya, NASCAR at season's end |url=https://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/cup/news/story?id=3543171 |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref>

Texaco was also involved in [[American Championship Car Racing|open wheel racing]], sponsoring the [[Grand Prix of Houston|Texaco Grand Prix of Houston]] along with sponsoring drivers like [[Indianapolis 500]] winner [[Mario Andretti]] and his son [[Michael Andretti|Michael]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-10-03 |title=Q&A: Mario Andretti. {{!}} IndyCar {{!}} Crash |url=https://www.crash.net/indycar/news/13792/1/qa-mario-andretti |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=www.crash.net |language=en}}</ref>

In [[Formula One]], Texaco sponsored the [[Team Lotus]] in 1972 and 1973, and [[McLaren]] from 1974 to 1978. The company returned to Grand Prix racing at a smaller scale in 1997, with their brands appearing on the [[Stewart Grand Prix|Stewart]] [[Stewart SF01|SF01]] car. Their association with the team and its successor, [[Jaguar Racing]], continued until the end of 2001, in the same timeline they also sponsored [[ITV F1|ITV's Formula 1]] Coverage.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Texaco sponsored the [[Tom Walkinshaw Racing]] [[Rover Vitesse]] factory team at the 1985 and 1986 [[European Touring Car Championship]] (ETCC) under their Bastos brand, and the [[Ford Sierra RS500]] factory cars entered by [[Eggenberger Motorsport]] in the [[1987 World Touring Car Championship|1987]] [[World Touring Car Championship]] (plus the 1988 ETCC and other European-based championships). Texaco also sponsored cars in the 1987 [[World Rally Championship]].{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

From 1987 to 1993, Texaco was the major sponsor (through its Australian [[Caltex]] offshoot) [[Colin Bond Racing]] in Australian [[touring car racing]], first with the [[Alfa Romeo 75]] in 1987, then the Ford Sierra RS500 from 1988 to 1992 and then [[Toyota Corolla]]s in 1993. From [[2000 Australian Touring Car season|2000]] until [[2007 V8 Supercar season|2007]], it was title sponsor of [[Stone Brothers Racing]] with [[Russell Ingall]] winning the [[2005 V8 Supercar Championship Series|2005 championship]]. In [[2016 International V8 Supercars Championship|2016]], Caltex became title sponsor of the [[Triple Eight Race Engineering]] car of [[Craig Lowndes]], having previously been an associate sponsor of the team.<ref>[https://autoaction.com.au/2017/05/16/craig-lowndes-continues-triple-eight Craig Lowndes continues with Triple Eight] ''[[Auto Action]]'' May 16, 2017</ref>

From 1984 to 1998, Texaco were the title sponsors of the main [[One Day International]] cricket tournament in England, the [[Texaco Trophy]]. It also sponsored the [[Texaco Cup]], a football tournament for clubs of the British Isles.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

===Entertainment broadcast (music or comedy/variety)===
Texaco was long associated with the [[Metropolitan Opera]] as sole sponsor of its radio broadcasts for 63 years. It was identified as well with such entertainment legends as [[Ed Wynn]], [[Fred Allen]] and [[Milton Berle]] (many of their shows were originally sponsored by Texaco – see [[Texaco Star Theatre]], which includes the sponsorship lyrics of the opening theme: "We're the men of Texaco, We work from Maine to Mexico..."). Berle's program was broadcast in the same time slot as [[Fulton J. Sheen]]'s religious program for a while, thus leading to Berle's oft-quoted quip, "We both have the same boss – Sky Chief!"{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Texaco was also the sponsor of the weekly [[Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts]], which air to this day since its inception in 1931.

In the 1930s, comedian [[Ed Wynn]] hosted a half hour stand-up comedy/variety show on the [[NBC]] Radio Network, billed as "The Texaco Fire Chief", a reference to its regular grade gasoline. This trend continued into the late 1940s, when Wynn was replaced by [[Milton Berle]] as television becoming the dominant medium. The title was changed to the 60-minute ''[[Texaco Star Theater]]'', which was also broadcast on NBC.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cross |first1=Mary |title=A Century of American Icons: 100 Products and Slogans from the 20th-Century Consumer Culture |date=2002 |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=978-0313314810  |access-date=4 September 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/centuryofamerica00cros/page/109/ |pages=109–110}}</ref>

In a 1983 video for their song, "[[Cruel Summer (Bananarama song)|Cruel Summer]]", members of girl group [[Bananarama]] are depicted as working as mechanics at a Texaco gas station.

==Environmental issues==
{{Main|Lago Agrio oil field}}

From 1965 to 1993, Texaco participated in a consortium to develop the [[Lago Agrio oil field]] in Ecuador. The company was accused of extensive environmental damage from these operations, and faces legal claims from both private plaintiffs and from the government of Ecuador. The case was widely publicized by environmental activists and was the subject of ''Crude'', a 2009 documentary film by Joe Berlinger.

In turn, Texaco's owner Chevron claims that it was being unfairly targeted as a [[deep pocket]] defendant, when the actual responsibility lies with the government and its [[national oil company]], [[Petroecuador]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stephens |first1=Beth |title=The Amorality of Profit: Transnational Corporations and Human Rights. |journal=Berkeley Journal of International Law |date=2002 |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=45–90 |url=https://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/bjil/ |access-date=30 May 2019 |archive-date=30 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530005959/https://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/bjil/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Texaco allegedly decided to forgo their standard drilling practices in favor for a minor savings on the cost to produce a barrel of crude oil (approximately $3/barrel). Texaco allegedly dumped toxic wastewater directly into rivers and waste into unlined pits, and created pits that were fitted with overflow pipes to nearby waterways, with pits also never being emptied after the drilling operations were concluded. In total, it is estimated that over 18 billion gallons of toxic waste were released into the Amazon rainforest. In addition to the liquid pollution, it is alleged that workers burned off toxic natural gasses and some liquid waste, thus releasing highly toxic dioxins into the atmosphere.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The 'Amazon Chernobyl' Disaster in Ecuador |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NzMj8Dt3c8 |via=YouTube |publisher=[[Dark Records]] |language=en |format=video |date=March 23, 2023}}</ref>

==Diversification==
The NiMH chemistry used in modern hybrid vehicles was invented by ECD Ovonics founder Stan Ovshinsky, and Dr. Masahiko Oshitani of the Yuasa Company<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.greencar.com/article/nickel-metal-hybrid-batteries/ |title=5 Things You Need to Know About Nickel-Metal-Hybrid Batteries |last=Olvera |first=Jennifer |date=July 3, 2008 |work=GreenCar.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126021744/http://www.greencar.com/article/nickel-metal-hybrid-batteries/ |archive-date=January 26, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/ovshinsky.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030417193400/http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/ovshinsky.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2003-04-17|title=Stanford Ovshinsky: Amorphous semiconductor materials |date=March 2000 |work=Inventor of the Week}}</ref> In 1994, General Motors acquired a controlling interest in [[Ovonics]]'s battery development and manufacturing. On October 10, 2001, Texaco purchased GM's share in GM Ovonics, and [[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]] completed its acquisition of Texaco six days later. In 2003, Texaco Ovonics Battery Systems was restructured into [[Cobasys]], a 50/50 joint venture between Chevron and [[Energy Conversion Devices Ovonics|Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) Ovonics]].<ref>Roberson, J. (March 14, 2007) [http://oesa.org/publications/articledetail.php?articleId=6528 "Supplier Cobasys exploring more hybrid batteries"] ({{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205090036/http://oesa.org/publications/articledetail.php?articleId=6528 |date=2010-12-05 }}). ''Detroit Free Press''</ref>

== Leadership ==
=== President ===
# [[Joseph S. Cullinan]], 1902–1913
# Elgood C. Lufkin, 1913–1920
# Amos L. Beaty, 1920–1926
# Ralph C. Holmes, 1926–1933
# William S. Rodgers, 1933–1944
# Harry T. Klein, 1944–1952
# John S. Leach, 1952–1953
# Augustus C. Long, 1953–1956
# James W. Foley, 1956–1963
# J. Howard Rambin Jr, 1964
# Marion J. Epley, 1965–1970
# Maurice F. Granville, 1970–1971
# John K. McKinley, 1971–1983
# Alfred C. DeCrane Jr, 1983–1986
# James W. Kinnear, 1987–1993

=== Chairman of the Board ===

# Elgood C. Lufkin, 1920–1926
# Amos L. Beaty, 1926–1927
# Ralph C. Holmes, –1933
# Charles B. Ames, 1933–1935
# [[Torkild Rieber]], 1935–1940
# William S. Rodgers, 1944–1953
# John S. Leach, 1953–1956
# [[Augustus Long|Augustus C. Long]], 1956–1965
# J. Howard Rambin Jr, 1965–1970
# Marion J. Epley, 1970–1971
# Maurice F. Granville, 1971–1980
# John K. McKinley, 1980–1986
# Alfred C. DeCrane Jr, 1987–1996
# Peter I. Bijur, 1997–2001
# [[Glenn Tilton|Glenn F. Tilton]], 2001

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}
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{{Chevron Corporation}}
{{National Medal of Arts recipients 1990s}}
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{{Authority control}}

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