Getty family | |
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Current region | United States |
Place of origin | Ireland |
Founded | 18th century |
Founder | John Getty |
Estate(s) | J. Paul Getty Museum Complexes: Getty Center Getty Villa Getty Foundation Getty Research Institute Getty Conservation Institute |
The Getty family of the United States began with George Franklin Getty and his son Jean Paul Getty as their patriarchs. In the 20th century, they were heavily involved in the petroleum industry and in mass media. The Getty family is of Scots-Irish ancestry from their patrilineal lineage, their ancestors having immigrated to North America from Cullavmor, County Londonderry, Ireland (today in Northern Ireland).[1] Several members of the Getty family have lived in England, including Sir Paul Getty who took British citizenship.
George Getty (1855–1930) was a lawyer who became an independent oilman in 1904. He was married with one son, a daughter having died in infancy in a typhoid epidemic in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He lent his son Jean Paul money to invest in oil wells and in 1916, George and Jean Paul incorporated the Getty Oil Company.