Waite Phillips (January 191883–January 271964) was the younger brother of L.E. Phillips and Frank Phillips, who founded Phillips Petroleum.

Waite had a twin brother, Wiate, who died at nineteen. Waite would use his oil rights to form the Waite Phillips Petroleum Co, but mainly got involved in real estate and banking.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, he built several office complexes, such as the Philtower and Philcade, as well as his mansion, the Italian Renaissance style Villa Philbrook. He would later donate his immense house to the city of Tulsa, where it was transformed into the Philbrook Museum of Art. All these buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Interested in ranching, and in having a ranch with recreational activities, he began purchasing land in northern New Mexico near Cimmarron, which he named Philmont Ranch. Then, he built a mansion there called Villa Philmonte. A restless soul, he would later donate most of the ranch to the Boy Scouts of America to found Philmont Scout Ranch. He also donated the Philtower Building to the Boy Scouts and contributed substantially to the University of Southern California. Upon his wife Genevive's death in 1979, the bulk of the remaining estate was also donated to educational and medical charities.

He also owned a strech of land in California, that was later developed into Rodeo Drive, known for its upperclass shopping.

External links

• Bio on Phillips
• Des Moines Register article on Phillips
• Tulsa Preservation Commission Listing of historic buildings

1883 births | 1964 deaths | American businesspeople | Boy Scouts of America