LP Gas Hall of Fame Inductee – Class of 2012
Often referred to as the founder of the LPG industry, Snelling was a chemist and explosives expert who first identified propane as a volatile element in gasoline in 1910.
He distilled the liquid from gaseous components and then created ways to extract the LPGs during the gasoline refining process. In 1912, Dr. Snelling and colleagues established the American Gasol Co. as the first commercial marketer of propane. One year later, he sold his propane patent for $50,000 to Frank Phillips, founder of Phillips Petroleum Co.
He died in 1965.