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John Paul Getty Jr.

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir

Paul Getty

Born
Eugene Paul Getty

(1932-09-07)7 September 1932
Died17 April 2003(2003-04-17) (aged 70)
NationalityBritish
EducationSt. Ignatius College Preparatory
Alma materUniversity of San Francisco
Spouses
  • Abigail Harris
    (m. 1956; div. 1964)
  • (m. 1966; died 1971)
  • (m. 1994)
ChildrenJohn Paul Getty III
Mark Getty
Aileen Getty
Ariadne Getty
Tara Gabriel Getty
Parents
FamilyGetty

Sir Paul Getty KBE (/ˈɡɛti/; born Eugene Paul Getty; 7 September 1932 – 17 April 2003), was known widely as John Paul Getty Jr..

He was a British philanthropist and book collector. He was the third of five sons born to J. Paul Getty (1892–1976), one of the richest men in the world at the time. His mother was J. Paul Getty's fourth wife, Ann Rork. The Getty family's wealth was the result of the oil business. One of his sons, Mark Getty, co-founded the visual media company Getty Images.

At birth, he was given the name Eugene Paul Getty, but in later life, he adopted other names, including Paul Getty, John Paul Getty, Jean Paul Getty Jr. and John Paul Getty II.

In 1973, his son John Paul Getty III was held captive in Italy, as J. Paul Getty refused to pay a ransom. In 1986, he was awarded an honorary knighthood for services to causes ranging from cricket, to art and to the Conservative Party. His honorary knighthood would eventually become substantive when he became a British citizen.

A long-time Anglophile,[1] he became a British citizen in 1997. In 1998 he changed his name by deed poll when he renounced the first name Eugene and wished to be known as Sir Paul Getty, KBE.[2]

References

[change | change source]
  1. "BBC profile: Sir John Paul Getty II". BBC News. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  2. "No. 55124". The London Gazette. 12 May 1998. p. 5324.