Mobil Corporation

Mobil is a former American petroleum and chemical company that merged with Exxon in 1999 to form Exxon Mobil Corporation.

Mobil’s origins date to the 19th century. One predecessor, Vacuum Oil Company, was founded in 1866 and, after 1882, became part of the Standard Oil Company and Trust. Another predecessor was Standard Oil Company of New York (Socony), established by the trust in 1882.

Both companies became independent in 1911 when the U.S. Supreme Court dissolved the Standard Oil combine, but the two merged in 1931 to form Socony-Vacuum Corporation. The name was changed in 1934 to Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, Inc., in 1955 to Socony Mobil Oil Company, Inc., and then in 1966 to Mobil Oil Corporation. In 1976, Mobil Corporation was established as a holding company for Mobil Oil Corporation and the company’s other businesses.

In an effort to diversify beyond its oil holdings, Mobil in 1974 acquired 54% of the voting shares of Marcor Inc. (then the parent company of Container Corporation of America and Montgomery Ward & Co.), and two years later Marcor merged into Mobil.

Mobil sold Container Corporation in 1986 and Montgomery Ward in 1988, clearing the way for Mobil to concentrate on its core petroleum extraction, processing, and distribution businesses. During the 1990s, Mobil expanded its international oil and natural gas operations, notably helping develop Qatar’s vast North Field and its liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry.

In December 1998, Mobil and Exxon agreed to merge in a deal valued at about $81 billion. The combination required extensive divestitures to satisfy U.S. antitrust regulators, including more than 2,400 Exxon- and Mobil-branded gasoline stations. The merger was completed on November 30, 1999, creating Exxon Mobil Corporation, which became a subsidiary of the newly formed ExxonMobil Holdings Corporation (XOM) in 2026.

The Mobil name continued as an ExxonMobil brand for gasoline, motor oil, and other lubricants, along with its familiar red “O” and Pegasus trademarks.