Morgan J. Davis

Morgan J. Davis was born in Anson, Texas, on 18th November, 1898. After leaving school in Fort Worth, Morgan spent a while in Texas Christian University. He served briefly in the armed services during the First World War.

In 1918 Davis he was appointed as assistant engineer for Holway and Associates in Oklahoma. He attended the University of Texas (1924-1925) where he studied geology. After leaving university Davis became a field geologist with Humble Oil. Over the next few years he made rapid progress and eventually he became chairman of the company.

Davis was a member of the Suite 8F Group. The name came from the room in the Lamar Hotel in Houston where they held their meetings. Members of the group included Lyndon B. Johnson, George Brown and Herman Brown (Brown & Root), Gus Wortham (American General Insurance Company), Jesse H. Jones (multimillionaire investor in a large number of organizations and chairman of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation), James Abercrombie (Cameron Iron Works), James Elkins (American General Insurance and Pure Oil Pipe Line), William Vinson (Great Southern Life Insurance), William Hobby (Governor of Texas) and John Connally (Governor of Texas). Alvin Wirtz and Edward Clark, were also members of the Suite 8F Group.

Davis was appointed as president of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (1952-53). He retired in 1963 but continued to work as a petroleum geology consultant in Houston. Davis was also president of the Geological Society of America (1969-1970).

Morgan J. Davis died of cancer in Houston on 31st December, 1979.