David McKelvy was born in Sugar Grove, Warren County, Pennsylvania, on January 12, 1842. He was educated in the local schools and studied law in Warren under Judge William D. Brown and Judge Glenni W. Scofield. After admission to the bar he practiced law for several years, earning a reputation as a skilled advocate and safe counselor. Though held in high esteem in his profession, he declined public office, preferring to devote his abilities to business.
In the 1870s McKelvy joined Byron D. Benson and R. E. Hopkins in organizing a series of companies at Enterprise, Pennsylvania, including the Enterprise Oil and Lumber Company, the B. D. Benson Company, and D. McKelvy & Company. Their efforts soon turned to solving the challenge of transporting oil to market. In 1875 they helped operate the Columbia Conduit Company, an early line piping oil to Pittsburgh, though the enterprise was eventually absorbed by Standard Oil. Undeterred, the group pursued new ventures, including the Seaboard Pipe Company, and finally undertook the ambitious project of building the first long-distance trunk line over the Allegheny Mountains.
This became the Tide-Water Pipe Company, Limited, the pioneer independent pipeline organization. McKelvy played a central role in acquiring rights of way and in working through the immense engineering problems involved. Collaborating with General Herman Haupt, the Holly Manufacturing Company, and superintendent J. G. Benton, he helped develop pumping machinery and designs that made the venture possible. His persistence and technical insight were vital to its success.
After the death of Byron D. Benson in 1888, McKelvy became president of the Tide-Water Companies. He served as both president and general counsel until 1892, when illness forced his retirement. He returned to his home in Titusville but remained identified with the company through his family, as his son later joined its board.
On June 20, 1872, he married Louise Wood of Warren, Pennsylvania. They had two children: Charlotte, who married George White of Marietta, Ohio, and Robert, who became a manager of the Tide-Water Pipe Company.
David McKelvy died in Titusville on May 10, 1913, at the age of seventy-one. He was entombed in the McKelvy Mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery in Titusville.
David McKelvy was born in Sugar Grove, Warren County, Pennsylvania, on January 12, 1842. He was educated in the local schools and studied law in Warren under Judge William D. Brown and Judge Glenni W. Scofield. After admission to the bar he practiced law for several years, earning a reputation as a skilled advocate and safe counselor. Though held in high esteem in his profession, he declined public office, preferring to devote his abilities to business.
In the 1870s McKelvy joined Byron D. Benson and R. E. Hopkins in organizing a series of companies at Enterprise, Pennsylvania, including the Enterprise Oil and Lumber Company, the B. D. Benson Company, and D. McKelvy & Company. Their efforts soon turned to solving the challenge of transporting oil to market. In 1875 they helped operate the Columbia Conduit Company, an early line piping oil to Pittsburgh, though the enterprise was eventually absorbed by Standard Oil. Undeterred, the group pursued new ventures, including the Seaboard Pipe Company, and finally undertook the ambitious project of building the first long-distance trunk line over the Allegheny Mountains.
This became the Tide-Water Pipe Company, Limited, the pioneer independent pipeline organization. McKelvy played a central role in acquiring rights of way and in working through the immense engineering problems involved. Collaborating with General Herman Haupt, the Holly Manufacturing Company, and superintendent J. G. Benton, he helped develop pumping machinery and designs that made the venture possible. His persistence and technical insight were vital to its success.
After the death of Byron D. Benson in 1888, McKelvy became president of the Tide-Water Companies. He served as both president and general counsel until 1892, when illness forced his retirement. He returned to his home in Titusville but remained identified with the company through his family, as his son later joined its board.
On June 20, 1872, he married Louise Wood of Warren, Pennsylvania. They had two children: Charlotte, who married George White of Marietta, Ohio, and Robert, who became a manager of the Tide-Water Pipe Company.
David McKelvy died in Titusville on May 10, 1913, at the age of seventy-one. He was entombed in the McKelvy Mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery in Titusville.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
