John B. Hess
American businessman
John Barnett Hess (born April 5, 1954) is an American businessman who is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Hess Corporation.
Early life and education
Hess was born in 1954 to a Jewish family, the son of Norma and Leon Hess. His father was the founder of the Hess Oil and Chemical, which later became the Amerada Hess Corporation and is now known as the Hess Corporation. His maternal grandfather was New Jersey attorney general David T. Wilentz, who prosecuted Bruno Richard Hauptmann in the Lindbergh baby kidnapping case. He has two sisters: Marlene Hess and former Pennsylvania State Senator Constance H. Williams.
He earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard College in 1975 and his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1977. He married Susan Elizabeth Kessler in 1984.
Career
Hess became chairman and CEO of Hess Corporation in 1995. He stepped down as chairman in May 2013, retaining his position as CEO. In September 2024, the Federal Trade Commission conditioned approval of the company's $53 billion acquisition by Chevron Corporation on Hess being prohibited from serving on the company's board of directors due to his past communications with OPEC. Under the Trump Administration, the FTC reversed its decision barring Hess from joining Chevron's board just one day before the merger was completed and he was subsequently appointed in July 2025.
Political involvement
Hess has been a longtime contributor to political campaigns, occasionally to Democrats, but primarily to the Republican Party, particularly in recent years.
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