Leon Hess was an American businessman, the founder of the Hess Corporation and the owner of the New York Jets.
15 Facts About Leon Hess
2.
Leon Hess sold his company, Hess Oil and Chemical, in 1963 and joined a consortium to buy the New York Jets.
3.
Leon Hess was responsible for moving the Jets to Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1984.
4.
In 1969, Leon Hess acquired Amerada Petroleum Corporation, one of the largest producers of crude oil in the United States.
5.
Leon Hess was posthumously inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2011.
6.
Leon Hess was born on March 14,1914, to a Jewish family in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
7.
Leon Hess worked as a driver for his father's company and, after it went bankrupt in 1933 during the Great Depression, he reorganized the company.
8.
Leon Hess built an oil terminal in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, out of old oil tankers and aggressively underbid his competitors to win Federal oil contracts.
9.
Leon Hess served in World War II, rising to the rank of major, and serving as the fuel supply officer for General George S Patton, where he further developed his logistical expertise.
10.
Leon Hess served as chairman and CEO of Amerada Leon Hess until 1995.
11.
In 1963, Hess was part of a consortium that bought the New York Jets which included Sonny Werblin, Philip H Iselin, Townsend B Martin, and Donald Lillis.
12.
Leon Hess bought out his partners: Werblin in 1968, the heirs of Iselin in 1977, Martin in 1981 and in 1984 became the sole owner of the club after purchasing the last quarter-share from Helen Dillon, Lillis' daughter.
13.
In 1984 Leon Hess moved the team to Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
14.
Leon Hess died at Lenox Hill Hospital on May 7,1999, from a "blood disease".
15.
In 2011, Leon Hess was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.