John Templeton 536702 226052748 2008-07-16T16:49:47Z 68.239.247.243 {{otherpeople}} {{Recent death|date=July 2008}} {{Infobox Person |name = [[Sir]] John Marks Templeton |image = |caption = |birth_date = [[November 29]], [[1912]] |birth_place = [[Winchester, Tennessee|Winchester]], [[Tennessee]], [[USA]] |death_date = [[July 8]], [[2008]] |death_place = [[Nassau, Bahamas]] |occupation = Businessman |nationality = Renounced US citizenship and became British in 1968 }} '''Sir John Marks Templeton''' ([[November 29]], [[1912]] &ndash; [[July 8]], [[2008]])<ref name=NYTobit>{{cite news |work=The New York Times |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/business/09templeton-cnd.html |title= Sir John M. Templeton, Philanthropist, Dies at 95 |date=2000-07-09 |first=Robert D. |last=McFadden}}</ref> was an [[United States|American]]-born [[United Kingdom|British]] [[stock investor]], [[businessman]] and [[philanthropist]]. ==Biography == Sir John Templeton was an investor and mutual fund pioneer who dedicated much of his fortune to religion and science. Templeton was born in the town of [[Winchester, Tennessee]]. He attended [[Yale University]], pledged the [[Zeta Psi Fraternity]] and was selected for membership in the [[Elihu (secret society)|Elihu]] society. He graduated with a degree in [[economics]] in 1934 as a top scholar in his class. He was a [[Rhodes Scholar]] to [[Balliol College]], [[University of Oxford]] where he first met his life-long friend, [[Michelangelo Antonioni]] the Italian film director.<ref>Tassone, Aldo, ''Antonioni'', Paris: Flammarion (2007), p. 37.</ref> He graduated with a [[Master of Arts (Oxbridge)|M.A.]] degree in law. He was a [[Chartered Financial Analyst]] (CFA) charter-holder. He received AIMR's first award for professional excellence in 1991.<ref> http://www.cfainstitute.org/aboutus/press/pdf/aimr_timeline_2000.pdf] </ref> Templeton married Judith Folk in 1937 and the couple had three children: [[John Templeton, Jr|John, Jr]], Anne and Christopher. Judith died in February 1951. He then married Irene Reynolds Butler in 1958; she died in 1993. He was a lifelong member of the [[Presbyterian Church]]. He was a trustee on the board of [[Princeton Theological Seminary]], the largest Presbyterian seminary, for 42 years and served as its chair for 12 years. Templeton became a billionaire<ref>[http://www.templetonpress.org/SirJohn/articles_details.asp "The Devout Donor"] ''Business Week''. November 28, 2005.</ref><ref>[http://www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/ppgrant.htm "Positive Psychology Network Concept Paper"] by Martin E. P. Seligman. University of Pennsylvania.</ref><ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18074477/ "Free Cash for Savvy Fools"] MSNBC. April 12, 2007.</ref><ref name=thestreet>[http://www.thestreet.com/funds/personalfinance/10256291.html "John Templeton's Five Steps for Financial Success"] by Mark Stousen. December 11, 2005.</ref><ref>[http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-values21jan21,1,2221293.story?page=1&coll=la "Testing the role of trust and values in financial decisions"] ''Los Angeles Times''. January 21, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.forbes.com/strategies/2004/02/04/cz_bc_0204templeton.html "An Investment Legend's Advice"] by Bernard Condon. February 4, 2004.</ref> by pioneering the use of globally diversified [[mutual fund]]s. His Templeton Growth, Ltd. ([[investment fund]]), established in 1954, was among the first who invested in Japan in the middle of the 1960s.<ref>[http://alternativestocklibrary.com/library/?article=164 "The Great Investors: John Templeton."''].Alternative Stock Library, Jan. 15, 2008</ref> In 2006 he was listed in a 7-way tie for 129th place on the [[The Sunday Times (UK)|Sunday Times]] [[Sunday Times Rich List 2006|Rich List]]. He rejected [[technical analysis]] for stock trading, preferring instead to use [[fundamental analysis]].<ref name=thestreet/> ''Money'' magazine in 1999 called him "arguably the greatest global stock picker of the century”.<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/markets/2008/07/08/john-templeton-obit-face-markets-cx_mk_0708autofacescan02.html “Templeton Saw It Coming”]. Forbes, Jul. 7, 2008</ref> He renounced his U.S. citizenship in [[1968]], thus avoiding U.S. income taxes.<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2005/0328/092_print.html "The Long Good-Bye"] ''Forbes''. March 28, 2005.</ref> He had dual naturalized [[Bahamas|Bahamian]] and [[UK|British]] citizenship and lived in the [[Bahamas]]. As a philanthropist, Templeton established *the [[John Templeton Foundation]]; *the [[Templeton Prize|Templeton Prize for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities]] in 1972. *the Templeton Library in [[Sewanee, Tennessee]]. In 1984 he endowed the Oxford Centre for Management Studies as a full college, [[Templeton College]], of the [[University of Oxford]], having as a focus business and management studies. It is now closely associated with the [[Saïd Business School]] of the university. In 2007, Templeton College sold its executive education program to Saïd Business School. In October 2008, Templeton College will merge with Green College to form Green Templeton College.<ref>[http://www.gtc.ox.ac.uk Green Templeton College]</ref> This is one of the exceptional mergers in recent history of the University of Oxford. He was created a [[Knight Bachelor]] in 1987 for his philanthropic efforts. Templeton was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2007, Templeton was named one of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine's 100 Most Influential People ([[Time 100]]) under the category of "Power Givers." Templeton was given this honor for his "pursuit of spiritual understanding, often through scientific research" through his establishment of the John Templeton Foundation.<ref>Caplan, Jeremy, and Coco Masters. "[[Time 100]]." ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' 14 May 2007: 84.</ref> Templeton attributed much of his success to his ability to maintain an elevated mood, avoid anxiety and stay disciplined. Uninterested in consumerism, he drove his own car, never flew first class and lived year-round in his peaceful ocean-side home in the Bahamas.<ref name=Bloomberg>{{cite news |first= Rodney |last= Jefferson |authorlink= |coauthors= Laura Tillman |title= John Templeton, billionaire U.S. philanthropist, dies at 95 |url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aOGiN456OwHY&refer=us |work= Bloomberg.com|publisher= |date= 2008-07-08|accessdate=2008-07-09 }}</ref> ==Spirituality and the Templeton Foundation== As a member of the Presbyterian Church, Templeton was dedicated to his faith. However, Templeton remained open to the benefits and values of other faiths. Commenting on his commitment to what he called spiritual progress, “But why shouldn't I try to learn more? Why shouldn't I go to Hindu services? Why shouldn't I go to Muslim services? If you are not egotistical, you will welcome the opportunity to learn more.<ref name=Bloomberg/> Similarly, one of the major goals of the Templeton Foundation is to proliferate the monetary support of spiritual discoveries. The Templeton Foundation encourages research into "big questions" by awarding philanthropic aide to institutions and people who pursue the answers to such questions through "explorations into the laws of nature and the universe to questions on the nature of love, gratitude, forgiveness, and creativity."<ref>[http://www.templeton.org/about_us "About Us."'']." The John Templeton Foundation. 5 Jan. 2007. 17 May 2007</ref> Templeton asserts that the purpose of the Templeton Foundation is as follows: {{Quote|We are trying to persuade people that no human has yet grasped 1% of what can be known about spiritual realities. So we are encouraging people to start using the same methods of science that have been so productive in other areas, in order to discover spiritual realities.|Sir John Templeton|''Interview with Financial Intelligence Report''}} == Death == On [[July 8]], [[2008]], Templeton died at Doctors Hospital in [[Nassau, Bahamas]] of [[pneumonia]] at 12:20 local time. He was 95. <ref name=NYTobit/> == Selected publications == *''Riches for the Mind and Spirit: John Marks Templeton's Treasury of Words to Help, Inspire, and Live By'', 2006. ISBN 1-5994-7101-9 *''Faithful Finances 101: From The Poverty Of Fear And Greed To The Riches Of Spiritual Investing'', 2005. ISBN 1-9320-3175-8 *''Golden Nuggets from Sir John Templeton'', 1997. ISBN 1-8901-5104-1 *''Discovering the Laws of Life'', 1994. ISBN 0-8264-0861-3 *''Is God the Only Reality? Science Points to a Deeper Meaning of the Universe'', 1994. ISBN 0-8264-0650-5 *''Templeton Plan: 21 Steps to Personal Success and Real Happiness'', 1992. ISBN 0-0610-4178-5 *''The humble approach: Scientists discover God'', 1981. ISBN 0-8164-0481-X ==See also== *[[John Templeton Foundation]] *[[Templeton Prize]] *[[Franklin Templeton Investments]] *''Investing the Templeton Way'' by Lauren C. Templeton and Scott Phillips, McGraw-Hill, 2008 ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{wikiquote}} *[http://www.templeton.org John Templeton Foundation] *[http://www.templeton.org/about_us/who_we_are/sir_john_templeton/ Sir John Templeton Biography] Templeton Foundation *[http://www.slate.com/id/1822/ God's Venture Capitalist] [[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] article by David Plotz {{DEFAULTSORT:Templeton, John}} [[Category:1912 births]] [[Category:2008 deaths]] [[Category:American money managers]] [[Category:American motivational writers]] [[Category:American philanthropists]] [[Category:American spiritual writers]] [[Category:Bahamian businesspeople]] [[Category:Bahamian Presbyterians]] [[Category:British businesspeople]] [[Category:British money managers]] [[Category:British philanthropists]] [[Category:Stock and commodity market managers]] [[Category:Knights Bachelor]] [[Category:Yale University alumni]] [[Category:American Rhodes scholars]] [[Category:American Presbyterians]] [[Category:People from Tennessee]] [[Category:Deaths from pneumonia]] [[de:John Marks Templeton]] [[es:John Templeton]] [[pl:John Templeton]] [[fi:John Templeton]]