Walter Benona Sharp

Walter Benona Sharp (12 December 1870 - 28 November 1912) was an American oilman and innovator in drilling techniques.

[1][2] By the age of twenty, Sharp was operating a water well drilling company with his brother.

Sharp made his fortune from the trading of leases and contracting for oil wells.

In 1902, Sharp, Ed Prather, and Howard Hughes Sr., founded the Moonshine Oil Company.

[2] Sharp died on 28 November 1912, at the age of 42, possibly due to being overworked as a result of sustained and strenuous work while fighting an oil fire.