Elmer Fred Davis was born in 1887 in rural Washington County, Colorado. He completed his Ph. D. in Geology at the University of California in 1918 and joined Shell Oil Company in 1919 in the field of oil and gas exploration. He was chief geologist, 1922-1929, and then vice president, 1929-1945, in charge of exploration in California and the Pacific Coast area. He was instrumemtal in the "Section 10" discovery in 1936. He organized micropaleontology labs in Long Beach and Bakersfield. He retired from Shell Oil in 1948, having served as vice president and chief consulting geologist from 1945. He had a practice as a consulting geologist in Los Angeles, 1949-1972, and during that period worked as director and consultant for the Home Oil Company of Canada and was instrumental in the discovery of the Swan Hill oil fields. Elmer Davis made a significant contribution as a geologist in the field of oil and gas exploration, primarily in California, but he also worked in Colorado, Montana, and North Dakota. His theoretical work, as well as his practical field work, were major pioneering contributions to the development of the petroleum industry in the West.
From the description of Elmer Fred Davis papers, 1918-1971. (University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center). WorldCat record id: 64392596
