17. John Paul Getty Jr. could only manage to escape the shadow of his famous billionaire father by making a name for himself as a generous patron of the arts
Even though he was one of the most notable philanthropists in modern British society, John Paul Getty Jr. was never really able to escape the shadow of his father, the founder of the Getty Oil Company. Indeed, he had a largely troubled life, though in his later years, he enjoyed peace and prosperity in England. To a significant extent, such peace was a result of his charitable work, the one area where he could distance himself from his notoriously miserly old man.
Born Eugene Getty in 1932, he adopted the name John Paul Getty Jr. as a young man. This is despite the fact that he never enjoyed a good relationship with his billionaire father. He travelled the world extensively throughout his youth before he was drafted into the Army during the Korean War. Upon leaving service, he met his wife and settled down in California. He accepted the lowest possible position in the family business, pumping gas, an attitude which impressed his father.
In the 1960s, he was made president of the family firm’s Italian operation, though his time in Europe was beset by addiction and the infamous kidnapping of his son by the mafia. While drying out and coming off drugs, Getty Jr. moved to England. He bought an old mansion and renovated it. He threw himself into his philanthropic endeavours. It’s estimated he gifted more than $170 million to charitable causes, above all those associated with the arts. He also gave millions to the church, plus he set up a significant charitable trust to support the arts and social welfare.
It was Getty Jr.’s philanthropic work rather than his family name which earned him his 1987 knighthood. However, it wasn’t until 1997, when he renounced his American citizenship, that he was allowed to refer to himself as ‘Sir Paul’. He died in his beloved London in 2003 at the age of 70.