J. Paul Getty

Born

December 15, 1892

Died

January 1, 1976 (aged 83)

Known as

art collector, autobiographer, entrepreneur, industrialist, patron of the arts

Jean Paul Getty Sr. was an American petroleum industrialist who founded the Getty Oil Company in 1942 and was the longtime patriarch of the Getty family. A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, he was the son of pioneer oilman George Getty. In 1957, Fortune magazine named J. Paul Getty the wealthiest living American, while the 1966 Guinness Book of Records declared him to be the world's wealthiest private citizen, worth an estimated $1.2 billion. At the time of his death, he was worth more than $6 billion. A book published in 1996 ranked him as the 67th wealthiest American who ever lived.

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