John F. Wharton

American lawyer and writer

John Franklin Wharton (1894–1977) was a prominent American lawyer and founding partner of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. Wharton's work was steeped in the classic era of Broadway theatre; he was an aficionado of the stage from his youth, and his practice as a lawyer developed around a series of representations that helped shape the theater business in the United States.²

From Wikipedia’s article on John F. Wharton (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born 1894, died Nov 24, 1977.¹

Companies

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & GarrisonFounder¹⁰

Early life and education

Date not recordedWilliams College³
Date not recordedNew York Law School³
Date not recordedColumbia Law School³

Career

Occupation: lawyer.^{5 6}

Date not recordedFounded Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison⁴

Theatrical Work

Wharton's work in theatrical representations began early in his career with Dwight Deere Wiman, a prominent Broadway producer. Wiman introduced Wharton to Cole Porter, who became one of Wharton's enduring clients; Wharton was named by Porter as one co-executor of his estate and the sole trustee of the Cole Porter Musical and Literary Property Trusts.

Wharton represented many other theatre and film artists, including Selznick International Pictures during the filming of Gone With the Wind. He also became involved in producing theatre as well: along with writers Maxwell Anderson, Elmer Rice, Sidney Howard, Robert E. Sherwood and S.N. Behrman, Wharton founded the Playwrights' Company in 1938.

Wharton is also credited with creating contract norms that became standard agreements in the entertainment industry, including a uniform partner agreement that defined the financial interests of producers.

Corporate Representations

Wharton's work also included non-theatrical clients, such as the interests of the Marshall Field's estates, American Houses, an early housing prefabricator and Benson & Hedges.

Published works

Wharton was an accomplished author, with several titles to his credit, including books on economics ("The Theory and Practice of Making a Living" and "The Road to Recovery") as well as a memoir of his time with the Playwright's Company ("Life Among the Playwrights"), and a novel ("The Explorations of George Burton") that dealt with psychology, an interest of his throughout his career.

From Wikipedia’s article on John F. Wharton (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Personal life

Born1894, Newark⁷
CitizenshipUnited States⁸
SpouseBetty Wharton^{6 9}

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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WikidataJohn F. Wharton on Wikidata
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WikipediaJohn F. Wharton on Wikipedia
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WikidataJohn F. Wharton: education, on Wikidata
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WikidataJohn F. Wharton: Founded Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, on Wikidata
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WikidataJohn F. Wharton: occupation, on Wikidata
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Wikidataoccupation, as reported
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WikidataJohn F. Wharton: place of birth, on Wikidata
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WikidataJohn F. Wharton: citizenship, on Wikidata
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WikidataJohn F. Wharton: spouse, on Wikidata
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WikidataPaul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, Founder