Books in the Kenneth E. Montague Series in Oil and Business History series

Upon George Mitchell's death in 2013, The Economist proclaimed, ""Few businesspeople have done as much to change the world as George Mitchell"", a billionaire Texas oilman. Award-winning author Loren Steffy offers the first definitive biography of Mitchell, placing his life and legacy in a global context.

In 2012, Richard E. Wainerdi retired as president and chief executive officer of the Texas Medical Center after almost three decades at the helm. During his tenure, Wainerdi oversaw the expansion of the center into the world's largest medical complex. William Henry Kellar traces Wainerdi's remarkable life story.

In this book, the author demonstrates that the myth of Texas Railroad Commission's power was devised by the agency itself as part of building a civil religion of Texas oil. He focuses on the interplay between business and regulators, between state and national regulatory commissions, and among the three branches of government.

The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) has become the nation's primary tool of energy policy. This book examines the interactions that have shaped the development of the SPR. It argues that the SPR has survived because it is a passive regulatory tool that serves to protect energy consumers and petroleum consumption.

Emerging from the close co-operation between the petroleum industry and the federal government during World War II, the National Petroleum Council has evolved into the voice of the marketplace. This book analyzes the choices and strategies that have given the Council the adaptability to survive.

When the first gusher blew in at Spindletop, near Beaumont, Texas, in 1901, petroleum began to supplant cotton and cattle as the economic engine of the state and region. Very soon, much of the workforce migrated from the cotton field to the oilfield, following the lure of the wealth being created by black gold.The early decades of the twentieth century witnessed the development of an oilfield culture, as these workers defined and solidified their position within the region's social fabric. Over time, the work force grew more professionalized, and technological change attracted a different type of laborer.Weaver tracks the differences between company workers and contract workers. He details the work itself and the ethos that surrounds it. He highlights the similarities and differences from one field to another and traces changing aspects of the work over time. Above all, Oilfield Trash captures the unique voices of the laboring people who worked long, hard hours, often risking life and limb to keep the drilling rigs "turning to the right."

Drawing on interviews with many principals, as well as extensive mining of company and legal archives, the author's study captures a moment in time when a segment of Houston's working-class seized the initiative and won economic and racial justice in their work place.