Milestones in the Life of Sir John Templeton

1912: Born in Winchester, Tennessee.

1934: Graduated from Yale University.

1936: Received M.A. from Balliol College, Oxford.

1937: Went to work on Wall Street.

1937: Married Judith Folk; their three children are John Jr., Anne, and Christopher.

1940: Opened his own fund management company.

1940: Son John Jr. is born.

1942: Daughter Anne is born.

1947: Son Christopher is born.

1951: Wife Judith dies.

1954: Started Templeton Growth Fund.

1958: Married Irene Butler on New Year’s Eve.

1968: Moved his permanent residence to Lyford Cay, Nassau, the British Bahamas. In the same year he renounced his U.S. citizenship and became a subject of the British Crown.

1972: Established the Templeton Prize for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities.

1973: Mother Teresa of Calcutta is the first to win the prize.

1987: Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

1987: Founded the John Templeton Foundation.

1992: Sold Templeton Growth Funds to Franklin Group.

1993: Irene, his wife of 35 years, dies.

1994: Retired from the board of Princetons Theological Seminary after 42 years and 12 years as its chairman.

1995: His son, Dr. John Templeton, Jr. becomes President of the John Templeton Foundation.

2001: John Templeton Foundation funds more than 245 initiatives in the areas of science, religion, character development and freedom.

2002: Sir John celebrates his 90th birthday.

2004: Anne Templeton Zimmerman, daughter of Sir John, dies December 16, 2004

2005: Spiritual Information, a collection of one hundred essays, is published in honor of Sir John.

2006: Sir John appoints his son, John M. Templeton Jr., M.D. to be Chairman of the John Templeton Foundation.

2008: Sir John dies at age 95 on July 8, 2008, at Doctors Hospital in Nassau, Bahamas, of pneumonia