William Henry McGarvey

William Henry McGarvey (November 1843 – November 1914) was a Canadian business magnate, entrepreneur and politician. McGarvey is best known for his exploits in Galicia, where he operated a highly successful petroleum company. McGarvey was one of the most successful "foreign drillers" of Petrolia, becoming a multimillionaire before the outbreak of the First World War destroyed his business. Early life William Henry McGarvey was born in Huntingdon, Quebec, to Edward and Sarah McGarvey in November 1843. In 1857, the McGarvey family moved to Wyoming, Ontario, where Edward established a general store that prospered with the arrival of the Great Western Railway and the development of the oil fields in Oil Springs and Petrolia. In 1861, McGarvey relocated to Petrolia and opened up a general store known locally as "The Mammoth Store." When Petrolia incorporated as a village in December 1866, McGarvey became its first reeve, holding the position until March 5, 1867. McGarvey also served on Petrolia's town council from 1868 to 1870, was elected mayor in 1876 and became warden of Lambton County in 1879. He ran unsuccessfully for provincial office in 1879. In 1876, the Geological Survey of Canada commissioned McGarvey to lead a survey of eastern Saskatchewan's mineral resources. Petroleum magnate During his time at Petrolia, McGarvey invested in the petroleum industry, having stakes in eighteen oil properties, including the famous "Deluge" well struck in 1873 and a partnership in an oil refinery. In 1879, McGarvey met British engineer and oil operator John Simeon Bergheim when he travelled to Petrolia to recruit men willing to drill in Europe. The men quickly became friends and partners, and in 1881 the pair moved to Ölheim, near Hanover to drill for oil. This venture resulted in limited success, and in 1882 McGarvey and Bergheim proceeded to Galicia and Romania. The pair formed the Bergheim & McGarvey company in 1883, and introduced the Canadian "pole tool drilling" system to the Galician oil fields, allowing exploration at previously unheard of depths and speed. The Canadian drilling system sped up the exploration of Galicia's oil fields, and reopened ones thought to have run dry. McGarvey and Bergheim also brought in Canadian drillers and equipment, which commenced a "technological revolution in the Galician oil basin."