John W. Mecom, Sr.

Who was John W. Mecom, Sr.?

John W. Mecom Sr was an American businessman.

John Whitfield Mecom Sr 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. After reorganizing his John W. Mecom Company, he reopened his company, which he subsequently ran with his son, John W. Mecom Jr., former owner of the New Orleans Saints NFL football team.

On December 18, 1964, Mecom's private plane was mistakenly shot down by the Egyptian air force, killing both pilot and co-pilot. While Mecom survived, the incident strained U.S.-Egypt relations, Mecom being a friend and donor of Lyndon Johnson.

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 Inc.. The offer included a down payment of one million dollars. However, Mecom was unable to raise the additional cash to complete the sale, forcing him to cancel the transaction.