SAMUEL C.T. DODD

This marker was dedicated November 6, 2008 and is located on Liberty Street in Franklin.

1836 � 1907
General solicitor of Standard Oil, 1881 � 1905, and author of the Standard Oil Trust Agreement (1882). The agreement led to the company�s dominance of the industry and served as a model for other trusts. A Franklin native, his early law office was located here.

Samuel Calvin Tait Dodd was born in Franklin, Pennsylvania, on February 20, 1836. He was the son of pioneer settlers, Levi and Julia Parker Dodd. His early schooling was in Franklin, where he learned the printing trade in the shop of a weekly newspaper and later studied at Waterford Academy and Jefferson College. Upon his return home to Franklin in 1857 Dodd taught school and entered the office of a local attorney to study law.

In 1860 S.C.T. Dodd married Mary E. Greer, who died in 1873, having borne two children. In 1877, Dodd married Melvina Smith, who also bore two children.

Mr. Dodd became a leading figure in legal matters involving the developing oil industry. In 1872 he was elected a delegate to the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention where he took a leading role, including framing some of the provisions of the state constitution.

In 1881 Mr. Dodd was selected as general solicitor of the Standard Oil Company. The Standard Oil Trust Agreement was signed January 2, 1882. This document as drafted by Dodd covered just a single sheet of paper, not including the signature sheets. Mr. Dodd strongly defended the Standard Oil Trust Agreement in comments to the general public and also in the legal and legislative arenas. During this period he resided primarily in New York City, near the corporate headquarters for Standard Oil.

Mr. Dodd served as Standard Oil�s general solicitor through his retirement in 1905. He died January 30, 1907 at this winter home in Pinehurst, North Carolina. S.C.T. Dodd is buried in the Franklin Cemetery.

The above information is abstracted from the dedication ceremony pamphlet prepared by the Oil Region Alliance, Oil City, PA

Donated by Penny Haylett Minnick
pictures Penny Haylett Minnick