J. Larry Nichols
J. Larry Nichols
“In the future, only a handful of independent oil and gas producers will focus on production in America. We want to be part of that exclusive group.”
Biography
Oklahoma native J. Larry Nichols was born and raised in Oklahoma City and graduated from Casady School (1960) before receiving his geology degree from Princeton University (1964) and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Michigan (1967). Nichols served as a Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General William Rehnquist in the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. and was a Law Clerk to Chief Justice Earl Warren and Justice Tom Clark of the U.S. Supreme Court. He co-founded Devon Energy Corporation with his father, John, in 1970 and was named president of the company in 1976 and chief executive officer in 1980. He has served on many community boards including the OKC Chamber of Commerce, Allied Arts, Oklahoma Foundation for the Humanities, Casady School, and Mercy Health Center. Among his honors are the Dean A. McGee Award (1997) and the Independent Petroleum Association’s Leadership Award (1997).
Fun fact
Larry Nichols and Devon Energy were once the subject of an article in Forbes Magazine. The headline read, “Odd Man In – Larry Nichols’ sense of time is out of sync with everyone else’s. That’s what makes Devon Energy successful.” Larry was named one of the 50 Most Powerful Oklahomans in 2006.
Oklahoma connections
Nichols was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.