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{{Short description|British geologist}}
{{Infobox person
| name = George B. Reynolds
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1853|04|05}}
| birth_place = [[Sussex]], [[England]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1925|02|23|1853|04|05}}
| death_place =
| nationality = British
| other_names =
| education = [[Royal Indian Engineering College]]
| occupation =
| years_active =
| known_for =
| notable_works =
| spouse = Lavinia Jane Baker (m. 1872)
}}

'''George Bernard Reynolds''' (5 April 1853 - 23 February 1925)<ref name="Sorenson 2009 k958">{{cite web | last=Sorenson | first=Ray | title=ABSTRACT: Who Was First? | publisher=Petroleum History Institute | date=2009 | url=https://archives.datapages.com/data/phi/v10_2009/sorenson2.htm | access-date=8 September 2023}}</ref> was a British geologist and oil industry executive who played a significant role in the development of [[Petroleum industry in Iran|Iran's oil industry]] in 1908 as well as [[History of the Venezuelan oil industry|Venezuela]] in 1922.<ref name="Sorenson 2009 k958"/> He is often associated with [[William Knox D'Arcy]]<ref name="- c929">{{cite web | title=HD Stock Video FootageConstruction of an oil drilling tower in Masjed Soleyman, Iran by the British syndicate organized by William D'Arcy | website=CriticalPast LLC | url=https://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675036726_oil-drilling_laborers_desert_oil-drilling_herds-of-camels_Reynolds_DArcy | access-date=8 September 2023}}</ref>, an English entrepreneur who obtained a concession from the Iranian government to explore and extract oil in [[Iran]].

== Early Life ==
Reynolds was born on 5 April 5, 1853, in [[Sussex]], [[England]] from a notable family background, with his father, George Stewart Reynolds, serving as a Vice-Admiral in the British Royal Navy, and his mother, Eliza Susanna.
In 1873, he attended the [[Royal Indian Engineering College]] at Coopers Hill, Windsor, an institution known for training engineers for service in the Indian civil service. In 1895, he married Lavinia Jane Baker in England.<ref name="Sorenson 2009 k958"/>

== Career ==
He began his career in British India's Public Works Department, particularly in the State Railways, which were primarily coal-driven at the time. He served diligently in this capacity from 1875 to 1897, eventually attaining the positions of Executive Engineer and Certified Mine Manager. Following his retirement from the Indian civil service, he worked in Dutch oil wells in the [[East Indies]] (now [[Indonesia]]). In 1901, Reynolds was hired by [[William Knox D'Arcy]] to lead oil exploration efforts in Persia.<ref name="Sorenson 2009 k958"/>

== Oil exploration in Iran ==
In 1901, D'Arcy received a concession from the [[Qajar dynasty]] in Iran to explore for oil in the country. Reynolds worked closely with D'Arcy and played a key role in the early years of [[Anglo-Persian Oil Company]]. A drilling team under Reynolds was sent to Chiah Surkh and drilling commenced at the end of 1902.<ref name="bp global 1908 c485">{{cite web | title=First oil – 1901-1908 | website=bp global | date=26 May 1908 | url=https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/who-we-are/our-history/first-oil.html | access-date=8 September 2023}}</ref><ref name=dy>{{cite book |last1=Yergin |first1=Daniel |title=The Prize, The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=9780671799328 |pages=138–143}}</ref> He conducted important geological surveys in Iran, which helped identify oil-rich areas and his work was instrumental in the discovery and development of oil resources in Iran, which had a significant impact on the global oil industry.<ref name="- t752">{{cite web | title=HD Stock Video FootageWilliam Knox D'Arcy's Oil exploration team from Great Britain, led by George B. Reynolds | website=CriticalPast LLC | url=https://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675036724_British-oil-exploration-team_men-on-horseback_small-river-in-desert_dunes_George-Reynolds_William-DArcy | access-date=8 September 2023}}</ref>

Drilling in southern Persia at Shardin continued until 1907, when the search was switched to [[Masjed Soleyman]], in a place named ''Maydon-e-Naftune''. Drilling began at one site in January 1908, and at another nearby in March. By April, with no success, the venture close to collapse, and D'Arcy who was almost bankrupted, decided with Burmah to abandon exploration in Iran. In early May 1908, they sent Reynolds a telegram stating that they had run out of money and ordering him to "cease work, dismiss the staff, dismantle anything worth the cost of transporting to the coast for re-shipment, and come home". Reynolds delayed following these orders and in a stroke of luck, struck oil at {{convert|1180|ft}} shortly after on 26 May 1908.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kinzer |first1=Stephen |title=All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |location=Hoboken |isbn=978-0-471-26517-7 |pages=48–49}}</ref>

While D'Arcy is often credited with the initial concession, Reynolds and his contributions to the technical and geological aspects of the oil industry in Iran is not overlooked. They were both pivotal figures in the early history of Iran's oil industry, which eventually became a crucial part of the global oil production landscape.

== See also ==
* [[William Knox D'Arcy]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{BP}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, George Bernard}}
[[Category:1853 births]]
[[Category:1925 deaths]]
[[Category:British businesspeople in the oil industry]]
[[Category:British geologists]]
[[Category:Explorers of Iran]]
[[Category:Founders of the petroleum industry]]
[[Category:BP people]]
[[Category:People from Sussex]]

George Bernard Reynolds - Revision history

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