5 Things to Know About Shale Pioneer Aubrey McClendon

Aubrey McClendon, a pioneer of the American shale boom, died on March 2, a day after he was indicted on antitrust charges. The indictment alleged that Mr. McClendon orchestrated a campaign to keep bid prices down while he was chief executive of Chesapeake Energy. Mr. McClendon, 56 years old, had vigorously contested the charges.

#1: His Beginnings

Aubrey McClendon co-founded Chesapeake Energy in 1989 with friend Tom Ward, $50,000 and 10 employees. Under his leadership, Chesapeake became one of the biggest natural-gas producers in the U.S., and one of the most indebted.

#2: Earlier Troubles

Mr. McClendon left Chesapeake in 2013 amid concerns that he mixed personal dealings with company operations. Soon after Mr. Ward was fired from the top spot at Sandridge Energy, the Oklahoma City company he founded after leaving Chesapeake. Last year, Chesapeake agreed to pay $25 million to settle bid-rigging and racketeering allegations made by Michigan’s attorney general.

#3: The Case

Federal investigators alleged that Mr. McClendon conspired with an unnamed company to rig bids on oil and gas leases in Oklahoma, holding down land prices between 2007 and 2012 while he was running Chesapeake.

#4: A Big Influence

Mr. McClendon’s big personality gave him a high-profile in Oklahoma and beyond. He owned a stake in the Thunder, an NBA team he helped bring to Oklahoma City from Seattle. He is a major donor to Duke University, his alma mater. He also helped fund the Swift Boat ads against 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.

#5: His Death

Oklahoma City Police said on March 2 that Mr. McClendon was found dead after driving into a wall at a high rate of speed. A day earlier, he contested the indictment against him. “The charge that has been filed against me today is wrong and unprecedented,” he said. “All my life I have worked to create jobs in Oklahoma, grow its economy, and to provide abundant and affordable energy to all Americans. I am proud of my track record in this industry, and I will fight to prove my innocence and to clear my name.”