John H. Reagan served as a congressman from 1876 to 1887 and sponsored the bill creating the Interstate Commerce Commission. He resigned from the United States Senate in 1891 to head the newly formed Railroad Commission, modeled after the I.C.C. and created to regulate shipping rates and practices. During his term from 1891 to 1903, railway transportation of petroleum became important in Texas, and in 1917 the Commission was given jurisdiction over pipelines, leading to formation of the oil and gas division. In 1919 the Legislature made the Commission responsible for oil and gas conservation. Proration began in the 1920s, and complete regulation came in the 1930s with 1,700,000-barrel-a-day production in East Texas. The Commission's policies were acclaimed when in World War II Texas was able to supply the allies with great stores of oil necessary for victory. Its goal is to prevent waste and protect oil and gas reserves by orderly regulation of exploration, production, and transportation, and Reagan helped set ethical standards that continued to win the confidence of both the public and the petroleum industry.