Garry Owen Papers
Scope and Contents
The Garry Owen Papers consist of manuscripts and printed materials about Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. An employee of the Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO), Garry Owen collected memos and articles relevant to ARAMCO's work in Saudi Arabia. The highlight of the collection is an original letter from famous Arabist H. St. John Philby to Owen. Other documents mostly concern the political and economic features of Saudi Arabia. The collection is contained in two archival boxes (2.25 linear feet). Georgetown University Library holds a number of Saudi Arabian collections, including the William E. Mulligan Papers and the Joseph A. Mahon Papers.
SERIES SYNOPSIS: The collection is organized into four series. SERIES 1 - Scrapbooks - contain manuscripts and printed materials in bound scrapbooks. Organized by original order of documents in scrapbooks. SERIES 2 - Manuscripts - contains memos and other manuscripts. Arranged in chronological order. SERIES 3 - Printed materials - contains printed materials found among the Garry Owen Papers. Arranged alphabetically by periodical title or topic. SERIES 4 - Oversized materials.
Dates
- Creation: 1917 - 1977
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1950 - 1969
Creator
- Owen, Gary, 1902-1971 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use
Researchers are solely responsible for determining the copyright status of the materials being used, establishing who the copyright owner is, locating the copyright owner, and obtaining permission for intended use.
Biographical Note
Garry Owen (1902-1971) was born in Weatherford, Texas, but he grew up primarily in Berkeley, California. Owen graduated with an A.B. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1924. Then, in 1927, he received an LLB from Harvard. Soon thereafter, Owen joined a San Francisco law firm. In 1938, Owen met LLoyd Hamilton, who was managing director of the Standard Oil of California London office. Owen spent time in oil exploration in India and then in Egypt until the outbreak of World War II. He joined the Aramco office in San Francisco in 1941. Next, he moved to Jiddah, where he soon became company representative to Saudi Arabia, a post he held for 17 years. In 1943, Owen officially accompanied H.R.H. Amir Faysal ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz on his tour of the U.S. In addition to Jiddah, Owen spent time in Dharan. Also, he served as vice president of various departments of Aramco. Owen retired in 1967 as an Aramco Director and Vice-President of Government Relations. [Sources: "Middle East Journal" vol. 25, no. 2. "Sun and Flare" vol. 23, no. 4, 1 February 1967.]
Extent
1.1 Cubic Feet (1 box and 2 oversized folders)
Language of Materials
English
Metadata Rights Declarations
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Jennifer Owen Murphy, 1997.
Processing Information
The collection was rehoused in acid-free boxes and folders when it was initially processed. Oversized materials were rehoused into a more appropriately sized container in July 2026. Staples were also removed from the collection at this time in preparation for digitization.
Subject
- Arabian American Oil Company (Organization)
- Title
- Garry Owen Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Georgetown University Library Booth Family Center for Special Collections
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2024-03: Edited for DACS compliance by John Zarrillo.
- 2026-07: Items previously held in the Oversized series were moved to the Printed Materials series. They were also rehoused at this time.
Repository Details
Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository
Lauinger Library, 5th Floor
37th and O Streets, N.W.
Washington DC 20057
speccoll@georgetown.edu