J. PAUL GETTY - DOCUMENT FRAGMENT SIGNED - HFSID 261597

J. PAUL GETTY
This last page of a legal document is signed by the oil magnate and two members of the Julian Oil Company
Document fragment signed: "J. Paul Getty", 1 p, 8¼x12¾. No place, no date. Final page of an agreement between Getty and the Julian Petroleum Corporation stipulating discounts to be paid for delivery of oil of lower quality. Also signed by the President and Secretary of Julian Petroleum and initialed in an approval stamp from the legal department. In 1916, Jean Paul Getty (1892-1976) and his father, George, had incorporated the Getty Oil Company, an early precursor to the great conglomerate. His multistate operation went international in 1949, when he completed a deal to lease oil fields in Saudi Arabia. During the Depression Era, he had bought extensive quantities of stock and in 1956 he gained control of Pacific Western, which he renamed Getty Oil, ending a 19-year stock battle with Standard Oil. The significantly larger Getty Oil Company became the world's largest privately owned business and made the enterprising Getty a billionaire. Although he was one of the world's richest men, Getty had a legendary reputation for miserliness. However, he shared his multimillion dollar collection of art and antiquities with the public by establishing the J. Paul Getty Museum--the largest endowment granted to an art museum at that time. Paper loss at top edge where document was pulled from a binder. Slightly creased and soiled. Otherwise, fine condition.