born Oct. 11, 1849, Newton Abbot, Devonshire, Eng.
died May 1, 1917, Stanmore, Middlesex
British businessman.
After earning a fortune as a gold miner in Australia, D'Arcy secured a 60-year oil-mining concession in Iran in 1901. The concession, obtained with British government assistance, covered an area of 500,000 sq mi (1.3 million sq km). An oil strike on these lands led to the formation of the Anglo-Persian Oil Co. in 1909. See also BP PLC.