Emma Summers facts for kids
Emma Summers (born McCutchen, 1858 – 1941) was a very successful American oil business owner. She was active in the oil industry during the 1890s and the early 1900s.
Early Life and Education
Emma McCutchen was born in Kentucky in 1858. Her father was a banker and a local official. Emma later studied music at the New England Conservatory of Music. She graduated from there in 1879.
After her studies, she married Alpha C. Summers. Emma and her husband later moved to Los Angeles. There, she worked as a piano teacher.
Becoming an Oil Leader
In 1892, Emma Summers noticed the growing oil business in Los Angeles. The next year, in 1893, she decided to invest in it. She used $700 she earned from teaching piano. This money bought her half ownership of an oil well near her home.
Emma became very interested in all parts of the oil business. She learned a lot about how it worked. At first, she had some challenges and setbacks. But she soon bought more oil wells. She also took an active role in managing her growing business.
A magazine called Sunset reported on her success in 1912. It said she was an expert at testing oil. She also hired all the workers herself. Emma was involved in every single part of her business.
The "Oil Queen"
By the early 1900s, Emma Summers had built a large oil business. She became one of the most important oil leaders in the area. Her success was widely known. People started calling her California's "Oil Queen." Sometimes they used other names like "California's Petroleum Queen."
The San Francisco Call newspaper praised her in an article. It said she was "A woman with a genius for affairs." The newspaper also wrote that Emma Summers controlled the oil markets in Los Angeles.
As the oil boom slowed down, Emma Summers's business also saw changes. By 1915, the busiest years of her oil business were over. She then stepped away from her very public business life.
