Templeton Library
Sir John Templeton (November 29, 1912 - July 8, 2008) [1] was an American-born British stock investor, businessman and philanthropist.
Biography
(Sir) John Templeton was an investor and mutual fund pioneer. 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 society. He graduated in 1934 as a top scholar in his class. He graduated with a 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.[2]
Templeton married Judith Folk in 1937 and the couple had three children: 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 by pioneering the use of globally diversified mutual funds. His Templeton Growth, Ltd., established in 1954, was among the first who invested in Japan in the middle of the 1960s. [3]. He is noted for buying 100 shares of each company trading for less than $1 a share in 1939 and making many times the money back in a 4 year period. [4] In 2006 he was listed in a 7-way tie for 129th place on the Sunday Times Rich Rich List. He rejected technical analysis for stock trading, preferring instead to use fundamental analysis. Money magazine in 1999 called him "arguably the greatest global stock picker of the century”. [5]. He renounced his U.S. citizenship in 1968, thus avoiding U.S. income taxes. [6] He had dual naturalized Bahamian]] and British citizenship and lived in the Bahamas.
As a philanthropist, Templeton established
- the John Templeton Foundation;
- the 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. Green Templeton College 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's 100 Most Influential People 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.
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.
Templeton became known for his "avoiding the herd" and "buy when there's blood in the streets" philosophy. [7]
He also was known for taking profits when values and expectations were high.[8]
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." 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." [9]
Templeton asserts that the purpose of the Templeton Foundation is as follows:
- 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.
Death
On July 8, 2008, Templeton died at Doctors Hospital in Nassau, Bahamas of pneumonia at 12:20 local time. He was 95.
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
External links
- John Templeton Foundation
- Sir John Templeton Biography Templeton Foundation
- Obituary of Sir John Templeton in Philanthropy magazine
- God's Venture Capitalist Slate article by David Plotz
