Zimmer, William T.

William T. Zimmer, born in Meadville, Pennsylvania, on September 3, 1871, was the son of Jacob A. Zimmer and German native Anna Oster. After learning the machinist trade in Pennsylvania rail shops and iron works, he entered the oilfields around 1891 as a tool dresser and driller. He gained extensive practical experience working across Pennsylvania, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, and Oklahoma before establishing a permanent presence in California.

On March 30, 1908, William returned to California to serve as superintendent for the Pilot Oil Company at Coalinga, where he drilled its first wells and became a stockholder. Married to Hallie Oswald in Elk City, Kansas, on October 25, 1898, he was the father of one son, William Oswald. Outside of his oil career, he belonged to several Masonic bodies and Elks Lodge No. 439 in Fresno, while gaining acclaim across the region as an award-winning breeder of pure-bred Ancona chickens.