Career
John Whitfield Mecom Senior found success as an independent oilman by acquiring abandoned oil wells and then making them profitable. He also developed new fields from Louisiana to Saudi Arabia. He was once ranked as one of the top oil independents.
However, he filed for bankruptcy in 1970.
On December 18, 1964, Mecom"s private plane was mistakenly shot down by the Egyptian air force, killing both pilot and co-pilot. The Egyptian government said that the plane was shot down by its Metal Inert Gas fighter jets after ignoring their repeated warning to land.
Mecom was on a routine trip to purchase drilling detergent for his oil business. In December, 1965, Mecom offered to buy the Houston Chronicle, its building, the Rice Hotel and a 35 percent interest in Texas Commerce National Bank from Houston Endowment Incorporated.
The offer included a down payment of one million dollars.
