Dan and Farris Wilks

Dan Howard Wilks (born 1956) and Farris Cullen Wilks (born 1952), also known as the Wilks Brothers are the founders of Wilks Masonry, established in 1995. They would go on to found an early hydraulic fracking company, Frac Tech, in 2002, and eventually became American and Texan billionaires.[1] Frac Tech was sold in 2011.[2] The brothers, sons of a bricklayer, reside in Cisco in Eastland County east of Abilene, Texas.[3][4]

They are supporting Texan U.S. Senator Ted Cruz in the United States presidential election, 2016,[5] having contributed $15 million to a super political action committee backing Cruz. They gave $50,000 in 2016 to the candidacy of the conservative Jeff Judson, who is challenging Joe Straus, the moderate Republican Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, in the District 121 Republican legislative primary on March 1.[6] In 2011 they sold their 70% interest in Frac Tech for $3.5 billion.[7]

Farris Wilks, 63, is married to Joan and the father of 11 children. He is the pastor of the Assembly of Yahweh Seventh Day Church near Cisco, a conservative Messianic Israelite church that was founded by his parents, Voy and Myrtle, in 1947.

Dan Wilks, 59, is married Staci and the father of two children with her and four children from a previous marriage.

References

  1. ↑ Durgy, Edwin (September 26, 2011). "The Forbes 400's Newest Undercover Billionaires: The Wilks Brothers". Forbes.
  2. ↑ Kong, Dinny McMahon And Kanga (2011-05-13). "Frac Tech Got $3.5 Billion". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
  3. ↑ Montgomery, Peter (June 13, 2014). "Meet the Billionaire Brothers You Never Heard of Who Fund the Religious Right". American Prospect.
  4. ↑ "The 41 Wealthiest Texans: Nos. 40 and 41: Dan Wilks and Farris Wilks: Dan Wilks (57, CISCO): $1.5 BILLION Farris Wilks (61, CISCO): $1.5 BILLION". Texas Monthly. line feed character in |title= at position 106 (help)
  5. ↑ "Big Money: Billionaire Brothers Give Ted Cruz $15M". The Daily Beast.
  6. ↑ David Saleh Rauf, "Mega donors bolster tea party: Billionaire family fuels anti-Straus bid", San Antonio Express-News, January 22, 2016, pp. 1, A8
  7. ↑ Billionaires buy up land in Idaho
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