Edwin Laurentine Drake also known as Colonel Drake, was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 oil

Petroleum

Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...

 driller, popularly credited with being the first to drill for oil in the United States.
Edwin Drake was born in Greenville, Greene County, New York on March 29, 1819, the son of Lyman and Laura (née Lee) Drake. He grew up on family farms around New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 State and Castleton, Rutland County, Vermont before leaving home at the age of 13.