Orin E. Atkins, 82; transformed Ashland Inc. into an oil giant
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Orin E. Atkins, 82, who helped turn what is now Ashland Inc. into one of the nation’s largest independent oil companies, died Friday at St. Paul University Hospital in Dallas. He had pneumonia.
Ashland Oil founder Paul G. Blazer once referred to Atkins as “one of the most capable, aggressive young lawyers” he knew, and in 1965, his 40-year-old protege took over the Kentucky-based refining company.
By the time Atkins resigned in 1981, the company’s sales had risen from $450 million to nearly $10 billion.
His career at the helm of Ashland was marred by accusations of business and political improprieties.
He was forced to retire amid allegations that he and other executives made illegal payments to obtain crude oil in the Middle East. In 1990, Atkins was sentenced to two years’ probation for trying to sell confidential company documents to Iran.
Born in Pittsburgh, Atkins attended Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va., and earned a law degree from the University of Virginia.
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