Chelsea Schneider

Chelsea.Schneider@indystar.com

Forrest Lucas, co-founder of Lucas Oil Products, is reported to be in the running for a spot in President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.

Lucas is being considered as a potential interior secretary, Politico reported following Trump’s win against Democrat Hillary Clinton. His name also had surfaced in September as a potential cabinet pick.

IndyStar attempted to reach out to Lucas through his group "Protect the Harvest," but received no response.

Lucas, who maintains a Carmel residence among several homes, built a multimillion-dollar company on a homemade oil additive. The name of the company he and his wife, Charlotte Lucas, founded in 1989 also is the namesake of the Colts' stadium in Downtown Indianapolis.

In 2014, Lucas was the subject of a documentary “American Real: The Forrest Lucas Story.” During his adolescent years, Lucas and three younger sisters survived hard times in a home he referred to as a "shack."

"Mom made 65 cents an hour working for a sewing machine company in Columbus," Lucas said in a 2014 interview. He worked as a hired hand who cleaned barns and showed livestock at the Indiana and Kentucky state fairs. Now, he owns a 16,000-acre cattle ranch near Springfield, Mo.

Shortly before the documentary's release, the Lucases took out a full-page ad in IndyStar to apologize for comments Charlotte Lucas had posted on Facebook. In the post that was later deleted, Charlotte wrote she was “sick and tired of minorities running our country.” The apology described the comments as “harsh and insensitive.”

IndyStar reporters Justin Mack and David Lindquist contributed to this story.

Call IndyStar reporter Chelsea Schneider at (317) 444-6077. Follow her on Twitter: @IndyStarChelsea.