William S. Rheem aka W.S. Rheem, was an important civic figure in the politics of early Richmond, California

Richmond, California

Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...

 in addition to being president of Standard Oil

Standard Oil

Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...

.

Overview

Rheem arrived in Richmond after finding a spot for a new refinery to replace an existing and unexpandable location in Alameda

Alameda, California

Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...

. He picked a spot in the Point Richmond District along the Potrero Hills

Potrero Hills

Point Potrero is a point in San Pablo Bay forming a cape and hugging the Potrero Hills in Richmond, California.The cape is covered with chaparral and lies between San Pablo Bay to the west and north, and Castro Cove to the east. The Chevron Richmond Refinery and Potrero Ridge lay just east of the...

 and the Marshlands

Wildcat Marsh

Wildcat Marsh is the wetlands delta formed by the mouth of Wildcat Creek at its confluence with Castro Creek in Richmond, California. The marsh is critical habitat for endangered species and has been contaminated and damaged by runoff from the Chevron Richmond Refinery and the city's landfill and...

. A colossal facility was built at this site employing thousands of employees and drastically transforming a farming community of a few hundred into a company town of several thousand. As the installations where completed William Rheem remained with the company as the superintendent of the Richmond Refinery

Chevron Richmond Refinery

The Chevron Richmond Refinery is a petroleum refinery in Richmond, California, on San Francisco Bay. It is owned and operated by Chevron Corporation and employs more than 1,200 workers, making it the city's largest employer. The refinery processes approximately of crude oil a day in the...

. Rheem Creek

Rheem Creek

Rheem Creek is a 3 mile long urban stream in western Contra Costa County, California which empties into San Pablo Bay south of Point Pinole. The creek rises from Rolling Hills Cemetery and passes through Rollingwood, the campus of Contra Costa Community College, and the city of San Pablo, California...

 a small river in the Hilltop District

Hilltop, Richmond, California

Fairmede-Hilltop, more commonly known simply as Hilltop, is a neighborhood located in the northeastern area of Richmond, California.-Overview:...

 and Rheem Avenue a street in the Central Richmond District are named in his honor. He died of a heart attack en route to Santa Cruz in a restaurant during a family road trip and outing.