John T. Walton
John Thomas Walton (born October 8, 1946 in Newport , Arkansas , † June 27, 2005 in Jackson , Wyoming ) was an American entrepreneur and billionaire.
Life
He was the second son and heir to the founders of the world's largest supermarket chain, Wal-Mart , Sam Walton and Helen Robson Walton . He had two brothers, Samuel Robson Walton (* 1944) and James Carr Walton (* 1948), and a sister Alice L. Walton (* 1949). He was married to Christy Walton , with whom he had a son, Luke. She inherited most of his fortune. Walton attended the College of Wooster.
Since 1992 he has been a board member of the company. He was also chairman of the venture capital firm True North Partners . In addition, he was involved in the company's own foundation "Walton Family Foundation", which supports the schooling of children from poorer backgrounds and scholarship programs and donated several million US dollars .
The 58-year-old was one of the richest men in the United States. The Forbes magazine put him in the 2009 list of the richest people in the world at number 12 with an estimated fortune of 17.6 billion US dollars .
Walton was with the elite unit " Green Berets " during the Vietnam War and was awarded the Silver Star . He later worked as a boat builder and, as an agricultural pilot, applied pesticides by plane.
When his self-built single-seat ultralight aircraft crashed in Jackson , Wyoming , United States , Walton was killed on June 27, 2005, although he was considered an experienced pilot. The National Transportation Safety Board later reported that Walton improperly reattached the rear circlip on the elevator control torsion tube. This allowed the torsion tube to move backwards during the flight and the rope tension in the elevator was released. The result of the failed repair was a loss of in-flight pitch control, without which Walton could not control the aircraft's attitude.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Walton, John T. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Walton, John Thomas |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American entrepreneur |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 8, 1946 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Newport , Arkansas |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 27, 2005 |
| Place of death | Jackson (Wyoming) |