Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Happy Birthday to an Old Oilman ...

J. Paul Getty, the son of a pioneer oilman whose life was not so much a rags-to-riches story, as it was one of riches-to-even-greater-riches, was born on this day in 1892.

The life of the man who would someday head Minnehoma Oil Company, Getty Oil, Pacific Western Oil, Tidewater Oil, Skelly Oil and who-knows-how-many other oil-and-gas-related businesses, and who would someday amass one of the world's great private art collections, hobnob with American political leaders and European royalty, and earn the title of 'richest man in the world' ... all makes for great reading.

Here is Getty's obit from 1976 edition of the New York Times, as well as his Wikipedia write-up. You can also visit websites for the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Getty Museum. There are also plenty of books out there, including some written by the man, himself.

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