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J Paul Getty biography

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Quick Facts

  • PLACE OF BIRTH: Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • PLACE OF DEATH: Sutton Place, Surrey, England
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Best Known For

J. Paul Getty was an American industrialist who founded the Getty Oil Company. At the time of his death in 1976, he was the richest man in America.


Synopsis

J. Paul Getty was an American industrialist who founded the Getty Oil Company. The son of a millionaire, he began contracting oil leases in Oklahoma in 1913. After acquiring several companies, he contracted a lucrative 60-year oil concession in Saudi Arabia. A zealous art collector, he founded the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1953. At the time of his death in 1976, he was the richest man in America.

Contents

Quotes

If you get up early, work late, and pay your taxes, you will get ahead -- if you strike oil.
– J Paul Getty

Profile

(born Dec. 15, 1892, Minneapolis, Minn., U.S.—died June 6, 1976, Sutton Place, Surrey, Eng.) U.S. oil billionaire, reputed to be the richest man in the world at his death. The son of an oil millionaire, he began buying and selling oil leases in Oklahoma in 1913. He acquired Pacific Western Oil Corp. in 1932 and soon gained control of several independent oil companies. He renamed his oil concern Getty Oil Co. in 1956. His most lucrative venture was a 60-year oil concession in Saudi Arabia. His financial empire eventually encompassed some 200 enterprises. A zealous art collector, he founded the J. Paul Getty Museum near Malibu, Calif., in 1953.

Copyright © 1994-2011 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. For more information visit Britannica.com

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