Samuel Stanley Learned, Jr. was born in Lawrence (Douglas County), Kansas on November 5, 1902 to Samuel Stanley and Alice (Preisach) Learned. He earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Kansas at Lawrence in 1924 and a master's degree in 1936.

In 1924, Learned joined the staff of Phillips Petroleum Company (Bartlesville, Oklahoma). He was appointed chairman of the company's corporate operating committee in 1944, and was named a vice president of the company in 1949. Learned became president of Phillips Petroleum Company in 1962 and its chief executive officer in 1964. He retired from the company in 1967, but remained on its board of directors until 1970. In his forty-three years with Phillips Petroleum Company, Learned was instrumental in its becoming one of the nation's leading international oil companies.

In 1971, Learned was awarded the Gas Processors Association's prestigious Hanlon Award. For his extraordinary service to the University of Kansas, he earned additional honors, including the University Alumni Association's 1959 Distinguished Service Citation, and its 1975 Fred Ellsworth Medallion for outstanding service. The University's School of Engineering awarded him its Distinguished Service Award in 1980, and in 1988 awarded him its first life membership in the School. Learned Hall, home of the School of Engineering, was named in his honor in 1966. Learned died October 21, 1995. He was preceded in death by his wife Mary and was survived by their daughter Ann and her children and grandchildren.