Leonard M. Fanning
Leonard M. Fanning was an influential American journalist and economic reporter, born in 1888 in New Rockford, North Dakota. He began his education at Princeton Preparatory School and briefly attended Princeton University before embarking on a career in journalism. Fanning specialized in economic reporting, particularly in the petroleum sector, and played a significant role at Wall Street News and Oil Trade Journal. In 1919, he became the director of publicity and statistics for the American Petroleum Institute, a position he held with notable impact, later serving as a consultant and public relations director.
His work extended into the realm of public policy during World War II, where he was involved with the Petroleum Industry War Council's national oil policy committee. Fanning authored several significant books on oil resources, including "The Rise of American Oil" and "Foreign Oil and the Free World," examining the dynamics of the oil industry and U.S. dependence on foreign oil. His contributions also included writing articles for Encyclopaedia Britannica and various journals over approximately three decades. Fanning passed away in 1967, leaving behind a legacy of insight into the economic and technological aspects of the oil industry.
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Leonard M. Fanning
Writer
- Born: July 4, 1888
- Birthplace: New Rockford, North Dakota
- Died: December 29, 1967
Biography
Leonard Mulliken Fanning, a journalist’s son, was born in 1888 in New Rockford, North Dakota. He attended Princeton Preparatory School, graduating in 1906, and then entered Princeton University. However, he left the university after a year to pursue a career as a reporter, initially working for newspapers in several states.
Eventually, Fanning found his niche as an economic reporter who specialized in the petroleum market for Wall Street News. After a short stint as financial editor of Oil Trade Journal, he became director of publicity and statistics for the American Petroleum Institute in 1919. For a few years he was a correspondent for Oil and Gas Journal, but he eventually returned to the American Petroleum Institute as a consultant and public relations director. He also was a consultant to the Petroleum Industry War Council, and during World War II served as the secretary of the council’s national oil policy committee.
Fanning wrote books on the world’s oil resources, focusing on the uses of oil, innovators in the petroleum industry, the American and foreign oil industries, the United States’ dependence on foreign oil, and the American Petroleum Institute. These books included The Rise of American Oil (1936), Foreign Oil and the Free World (1954), and The Shift of World Petroleum Power away from the United States (1958). He also wrote several books about other economic and technological topics. For about thirty years, Fanning wrote articles for Encyclopaedia Britannica and authored journal articles on the oil industry. He died in 1967 at the age of seventy-nine.