Anne Catherine Getty Earhart
HEIRESS, PHILANTHROPIST
Caroline Marie Getty
HEIRESS, PHILANTHROPIST
THE MONEY: Sisters who are the granddaughters of late oil tycoon J. Paul Getty.
FAMILY HISTORY: Their grandfather made his first million in 1916 in Oklahoma oil and became a billionaire from work in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in the 1940s and 1950s. Other holdings included aircraft maker Spartan. Some news reports at the time said he was the world’s wealthiest man. The sisters were born in the 1950s to J. Paul’s eldest son, George Franklin Getty II.
THE NUMBERS: J. Paul died in 1976, leaving $700M to fund the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and a family fortune disputed for nine years by dozens of descendants. It included 40% of Getty Oil; a family trust in 1984 sold that for $4B to Texaco. The museum also got a boost, selling its 12% holdings as part of Texaco’s takeover. Anne and Caroline each received about $750M from the will and $400M apiece from the Texaco deal.
QUOTE: “I knew when I inherited a large sum of money, that some good should come of it,” Earhart said in 2019, when she was presented the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.
PHILANTHROPY: Some of Anne Earhart’s giving flows through the Marisla Foundation in Laguna Beach, for her daughter Sara’s middle name. According to the Surf Industry Members Association (SIMA), “Every year, Marisla Foundation supports more than 150 organizations working to protect healthy coasts and oceans. Through her efforts, she is helping to preserve beach access and stop water pollution and development impacts at some of the world’s most epic surf spots, including in Mexico, Chile, Hawaii and, of course, in her home state of California.” Added, “Together with partners, Marisla created Oceana, the first major nonprofit committed to the restoration and protection of the world’s oceans. Thus far, Ms. Earhart’s philanthropy has helped preserve 4.5 million square miles (and counting) of the ocean.” Was Biden Fundraiser.
