Trevor Rees-Jones | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1951 (age 73–74) |
| Education | Highland Park High School |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College SMUDedman School of Law |
| Occupation | Founder ofChief Oil & Gas |
| Spouse | Jan Rees-Jones |
| Children | 2 sons |
Trevor D. Rees-Jones (born 1951) is an American attorney,billionaire businessman, and philanthropist fromTexas. He is the founder ofChief Oil & Gas. He has a net worth of approximately $4.4 billion.
Trevor D. Rees-Jones was born in 1951. He grew up inUniversity Park, Texas, Dallas, the eldest of three children of Trevor William Rees-Jones (1923–2009) and Billye June Kay of Dallas (1924–2008).[1][2] He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout out of Boy Scout Troop 70 in 1966.[3] His father was a lawyer withLocke Liddell & Sapp in Dallas.[4] His paternal grandfather, David Rees-Jones, was a Presbyterian minister fromTrefor, Wales who immigrated to the United States to serve as a pastor inOklahoma and Texas.[1] His paternal grandmother, Mary Edith Holmes, was a secretary forWilliam Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme fromCheshire, England; she immigrated to the United States with her husband.[1]
Rees-Jones was educated atHighland Park High School, University Park, Dallas.[5] Rees-Jones graduated fromDartmouth College, and studied law atSouthern Methodist University'sDedman School of Law, where he received hisJ.D.[6][7]
He started his career as a bankruptcy attorney in Dallas. Later, he practiced oil and gas reorganization law with Thompson & Knight.[7]
In 1984, he began pursuing oil and gas investments.[7] He foundedChief Oil & Gas a decade later, in 1994. The company has been active in theBarnett Shale, a geological formation located in theBend Arch–Fort Worth Basin.[7] He has served as President of the Dallas Petroleum Club and the Dallas Hardhatters Committee (now known as the Dallas Wildcatters Committee).[7]
In 2006, Trevor Rees-Jones and his wife founded the Rees-Jones Foundation, a private foundation established primarily to support and funding for programs that help improve the quality of life for the people of North Texas.Major recipients of grants from the foundation include theBoy Scouts of America's Circle Ten Council, theDallas Arboretum,[8][9] theDallas Museum of Nature and Science and the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center.[10][11][12] The foundation gave grants of over $40 million in both 2008 and 2010.[13]
He served on theboard of trustees of his alma mater, Dartmouth College, from 2010 to 2014.[14] He serves on the board of trustees ofTexas Christian University and on the board of advisors of its Energy Institute.[7][15]
ThePerot Museum of Nature and Science, created in 2006 by Rees-Jones' friend and business partner, fellow billionaireRoss Perot includes the Jan and Trevor Rees-Jones Exhibition Hall, the subject of a $25 million donation.[16]
Rees-Jones also made a large donation toParkland Memorial Hospital's campaign for its new facility.
Rees-Jones has emerged as a large donor to theRepublican Party and gave $1 million toAmerican Crossroads in 2010.[17] In 2015, Rees-Jones and his wife donated $2 million to the presidential candidacy ofJeb Bush.[18]
Rees-Jones and his wife Jan live in a 10,700 sq ft house inDallas, Texas, valued byD Magazine at $13 million in 2011.[19][16] They attend theHighland Park Presbyterian Church.[7] They are also members of theDallas Country Club.[7]
Rees-Jones owns Cook Canyon Ranch nearRanger, Texas. In October 2010, he paid the pop singerJon Bon Jovi to play at a party there.[16] For his 60th birthday party in August 2011,Dan Aykroyd,Jim Belushi and the Blues Brothers Band performed as the opening act, followed byThe Eagles, who played a two-hour set. There were 25–30 private jets at the ranch's airstrip.[20]
They have two sons.[21] On 18 October 2014, Trevor Richard Rees-Jones, III, married Jennifer Hall Ebeier of Fort Worth at Rees-Jones' Cook Canyon Ranch.[22]
