William Alvin Moncrief Jr. (March 27, 1920 – December 29, 2021), also known as Tex Moncrief, was an American businessman in the oil and gas sector, often described as a wildcatter. He served as president of Moncrief Oil, and was a billionaire member of the 2006 Forbes 400, with an estimated net worth of US$1 billion. Early years William Alvin Moncrief Jr. was born on March 27, 1920. He was the second child of William Alvin "Monty" Moncrief (1895–1986) and wife Elizabeth Bright, 1897–1992). In 1931, at the age of ten, Moncrief witnessed the opening of a gusher oil well at Gregg County, a joint venture between his father and John E. Farrell. He later described the experience: It was just the greatest thing I ever saw. People were jumping around and hollering and hugging each other just like they'd won a football game. I decided on the spot that I wanted to become an oilman. Moncrief graduated cum laude from Culver Military Academy in Culver, Indiana, in 1937, before continuing his education at the University of Texas, where he graduated with a degree in petroleum engineering in 1942. Moncrief worked for Consolidated Vultee, and then as an engineer for Stanolind Oil. When the United States entered World War II, Moncrief was commissioned in the United States Naval Reserve and served as a communication officer in the Pacific. Career Moncrief returned from military service and joined Moncrief Oil, becoming a 50–50 partner with his father. Their father–son partnership was very successful, with Moncrief Oil discovering oil and gas in West Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Their first major post-War success occurred in Scurry County, where the Moncriefs drilled 28 successful wells, which together produced more than 1.2 billion barrels of oil. In 1972, Moncrief acquired one-third of the natural gas field Madden Deep in Wyoming, which proved very profitable. On September 1, 1994, the offices of Moncrief Oil were raided by the IRS, who seized more than one million documents. Moncrief was accused of owing the United States government between $100 million and $300 million. Following a two-year investigation, Moncrief pleaded "no contest" to one count of criminal tax fraud; this charge alleged that he had "improperly deducted" $900,000 in business expenses from his company Montex Drilling on his 1990 personal federal tax return. This agreement, although signed and sent to the United States Department of Justice, was never