Forrest Lucas

Forrest Lucas (February 1, 1942 – August 23, 2025) was an American businessman, known for being the founder of Lucas Oil and the founder of Protect the Harvest that opposed animal rights legislation.

Lucas was born in February 1942, in Ramsey, Indiana, where he grew up, the eldest of four children. His parents Raymond and Marie had a small farm in Elkinsville, where he and his three sisters lived in "rural deprivation".

He was educated to a high school level.

Lucas bought his first truck when he was 19, and his first semi-trailer at 21. He got a job with Mayflower Transit. He built up a fleet of 13-14 trucks, and started freight brokerage. Following the deregulation of freight in 1980, he was the first to get a full licence to deliver freight in 48 states.

In 1988, he founded Lucas Oil. In 2018, he founded Forrest Films, a film production company.

Lucas was a founder of Protect the Harvest, a nonprofit organization which opposes animal rights. It is particularly opposed to the Humane Society of the United States, which it claims is "a wealthy and successful attack group".

His first wife "couldn't stand to save money ... she'd spend it as fast as I made it", and they divorced in 1969.

He married Charlotte Lucas in 1982, and they had seven children.

Lucas died on August 23, 2025, at the age of 83.