Everette Lee DeGolyer wore many hats. Though not a geophysicist, he helped make geophysics central to oil exploration. Though not a politician, he played an important role in the national politics of energy. Though trained as a geologist, he became an important business executive. Houston Mount develops his account of the career of DeGolyer in a way that provides a useful lens through which to examine the rising fortunes of earth scientists in the oil industry and in government.