Great American Business Leaders of the 20th Century
James R. Moffett
Freeport-McMoRan
1984–2003
1984–2003
Freeport-McMoRan
1984–2003
1984–2003
- Industry: Agriculture & Mining
- Era: 1980
In 1981, Moffett orchestrated one of the largest and most profitable mergers in Wall Street history – the merger of his oil exploration company, McMoRan Oil and Gas Company, with Freeport Minerals Corporation – creating a $4 billion enterprise. A geologist by training, Moffett was instrumental in the discovery and exploration of natural resource deposits around the world, especially the Grasberg gold mine in Papua, Indonesia. As CEO, Moffett oversaw a massive growth plan for the combined entities and expanded the firm’s mining portfolio while successfully weathering a number of legal and environmental challenges.
Personal
- Born-Died: 1938
- Birthplace: Louisiana
- Race: White
- Gender: Male
- Father: Laborer, Un-/Semi-skilled
Education / Military
- Graduate: Tulane University
- Undergraduate: University of Texas
- Military Service: Army