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J. Paul Getty
American industrialist and art collector (1892-1976) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jean Paul Getty (December 15, 1892 – June 6, 1976) was an American industrialist.[1] He founded the Getty Oil Company. In 1957 Fortune magazine named him the richest living American.[2] The 1966 Guinness Book of Records named him as the world's richest private citizen, worth an estimated $1,200 million.[3] When he died he was worth more than $2 billion.[4] A book published in 1996 ranked him as the 67th richest American who ever lived. (The book ranked his wealth as a percentage of the United States gross national product.)[5] Despite his wealth, Getty was known for being a miser.
J. Paul Getty | |
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![]() J. Paul Getty, circa 1944 | |
Born | (1892-12-15)December 15, 1892 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
Died | June 6, 1976(1976-06-06) (aged 83) Sutton Place, Surrey, England |
Cause of death | Congestive heart failure |
Occupation | Business |
Spouse(s) | Jeanette Demont, Allene Ashby, Adolphine Helmle, Ann Rork, Louise Dudley Lynch |
Children | George Franklin Getty II, Jean Ronald Getty, Eugene Paul Getty, later Jean Paul Getty Jr, Gordon Peter Getty, Timothy Ware Getty |
Parent(s) | George Franklin Getty and Sarah Catherine McPherson Risher |
Getty enjoyed collecting art and antiquities. His collection formed the basis of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California. He left $661 million to the museum after his death.[4] He established the J. Paul Getty Trust in 1953. The trust is the world's wealthiest art institution. It operates the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Foundation, the Getty Research Institute, and the Getty Conservation Institute.[6]