Harold Hamm was born in Oklahoma in 1945, the youngest of thirteen children to share crop farmers. In December of 1966, Mr. Hamm was able to buy a bob tail tank truck and begin his own oilfield service company in Ringwood, Oklahoma. In 1967, he incorporated Shelly Dean Oil Company which later became Continental Resources. Today, Continental is a successful independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company that operates in 20 states and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Mr. Hamm serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Continental Resources. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hiland partners. He is past chairman of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association and served as a founding board member of the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board. He was President of the National Stripper Well Association and founder and Chairman of Save Domestic Oil, Inc.
Mr. Hamm has been honored with the regional Ernst and Young Master Entrepreneur of the Year Award. In 2011 he was inducted into the Oklahoma Wildcatter’s Hall of Honor and was also inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame for his many contributions to the State. In 2012 Mr. Hamm was named to the 2012 Time 100, TIME Magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, for his creation of thousands of jobs in the oil industry and continuous support of education and diabetes research.
He holds honorary degrees from Northwestern Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma.