Aubrey McClendon

"We frack all the time. Whats the big deal?
Deceased. Founded Chesapeake Energy and American Energy Partners, LP

Aubrey McClendon was born on July 14, 1959, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Joe Conner and Carole Kerr McClendon. McClendon died in a car accident on March 2, 2016.  He was the great-nephew of Robert S. Kerr  who was the founder of an oil and gas company, governor of Oklahoma, and a U.S. Senator.



McClendon served as CEO of Chesapeake Energy until April 2013 when he was forced out of the company after a scandal revealed McClendon's personal finances were being managed by the company. McClendon still owns 2.5% stake in tens of thousands of gas wells owned by Chesapeake and continues attempting to influence operations at the company.

McClendon was a director of Sundrop Fuels, a company attempting to create synthetic gasoline from methane and biomass.

McClendon had a massive wine collection, which he auctioned as “The Aubrey McClendon Collection.”


"It's time to get bullish on natural gas."

--New York Times, June 25, 2011

“Environmental activists … that I have talked to continue to naively presume that our great country need only rely on wind and solar energy to meet our current and future energy needs.”

--Facebook, June 26, 2011

"We are cleaning the environment because when you burn more gas, you're burning less coal, and we think in time we can burn less imported oil. So why The New York Times or any group of environmentalists would think it was somehow in their best interest to bash the natural gas industry is a real mystery of life."

--CNBC,  June, 28 2011



--Rolling Stone, March 1, 2012.

"Would people cheat on climate science? Sure. Because all it is a model into which there are 2,000 variables, and if I want this outcome, I nudge that one up a little and down a little bit, and there you go."

--Wall Street Journal, April 27, 2012



Aubrey McClendon was worth $1.2 billion as of 2011, including a 19% ownership of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. He was one of the 100 largest land owners in the United States.In 2010, McClendon announced that Chesapeake would gain 50% of its revenues come from oil production by the end of 2013.



McClendon was the eighth largest donor to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group conceived by right wing PR companies, including climate science denier Marc Morano, to smear John Kerry during the 2004 presidential election.






In April 2013, however, amid conflicts with shareholders concerning the company's spending and governance, McClendon was ousted from Chesapeake. He subsequentley created anoter oil-and-gas company, American Energy Partners LP, which is valued at $5 billion.

Propublica rundown of Mcclendon's shady dealings.