Age, Biography, and Wiki
Stockton Rush, born March 31, 1962, as Richard Stockton Rush III, was an American entrepreneur and engineer. He is best known for his work in deep-sea exploration, particularly through OceanGate. Rush was a descendant of a Founding Father, which added to his intriguing background. He tragically passed away on June 18, 2023, during a submersible dive to the Titanic wreck.
| Occupation | Engineers |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 31 March 1962 |
| Age | 63 Years |
| Birth Place | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Country | U.S |
| Date of death | 18 June, 2023 |
| Died Place | North Atlantic Ocean (near the wreck of the Titanic) |
Height, Weight & Measurements
There is no publicly available information on Stockton Rush's height, weight, or other physical measurements.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Rush was married to Wendy Rush. There is limited information available about their personal life or any other relationships.
and Ellen (née Davies). His maternal grandfather was businessman Ralph K. Davies. His maternal grandmother, Louise Davies, was a philanthropist and the namesake of San Francisco's Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. Through his father, he was a descendant of two signers of the Declaration of Independence, Richard Stockton and physician Benjamin Rush.
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| Husband | Wendy Weil (m. 1986) |
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Net Worth and Salary
At the time of his death, Stockton Rush's net worth was estimated to be between $12 million and $25 million. This wealth was largely attributed to his role as CEO of OceanGate, his background in aerospace engineering, and potential family wealth. His salary as the CEO of OceanGate and his involvement in a rapidly expanding industry of deep-sea tourism likely contributed to his financial status.
Career, Business, and Investments
Stockton Rush was a visionary leader in the field of deep-sea exploration. He co-founded OceanGate and played a crucial role in developing the Titan submersible, which was designed to take tourists to the wreck of the Titanic. Prior to his work with OceanGate, Rush had a notable career in aerospace engineering. His ambition to revolutionize deep-sea tourism was evident in OceanGate's high-tech expeditions, which came with significant financial stakes and risks.
Richard Stockton Rush III (March 31, 1962 – June 18, 2023) was an American businessman who was the co-founder and chief executive officer of OceanGate, a deep-sea exploration company.
After graduation from Princeton University, Rush worked for McDonnell Douglas as a flight test engineer on their F-15 program. He later was a board member for BlueView Technologies and the Museum of Flight. In 2009, he created the company OceanGate with Guillermo Söhnlein, who departed the company in 2013.
As a child, Rush wanted to become an astronaut and the first person on Mars, and had an interest in aviation and aquatics. He began scuba diving at age 12, and became a commercial pilot at 18 years old. He was later told his visual acuity would disqualify him from becoming a military aviator. In 1980, he graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy. In 1984, Rush received a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from Princeton University. In 1989, he received a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley.
After graduating from Princeton, Rush worked briefly for McDonnell Douglas as a flight-test engineer for the F-15 program before getting his MBA. Later on, Rush worked as a venture capitalist for the San Francisco company Peregrine Partners. He relocated to the Pacific Northwest in 1989 to manage the company Remote Control Technology based in Kirkland, Washington. He claimed to have built an experimental airplane later that year that he flew throughout his life.
Rush was a hobbyist scuba diver and spent time diving in the waters of Puget Sound. In 2006, after his first excursion in a submarine in British Columbia, Rush became interested in ocean exploration at lower depths. Rush began considering purchasing a submersible but discovered there were fewer than 100 privately-owned submarines worldwide and was unable to purchase one. Instead, a company in London offered to sell parts for a miniature submersible that could be assembled using blueprints reportedly created by a retired U.S. Navy submarine commander. The vessel Rush constructed was 4 m long and capable of diving to a depth of 10 m. After the construction of his miniature submersible he continued to try to purchase a submersible, including attempting to buy Steve Fossett's submersible vehicle after Fossett's 2007 death, but was unsuccessful.
Around 2007, Rush began to explore the idea of founding his own submarine company. He believed that there could be significant market for underwater ocean tourism and that it would provide an alternative to the significant time and technical gear required for scuba diving. Rush founded OceanGate with business partner Guillermo Söhnlein in 2009. According to Rush, the goal of the company was to use commercial tourism to fund the development of new deep-diving submersibles that would enable further commercial ventures including resource mining and disaster mitigation. Söhnlein left OceanGate in 2013.
In 2018, Rush piloted an expedition with researchers and scientists in the San Juan Islands to observe the red sea urchin and the habitat of the sand lance. In 2021, after several delays, Rush finally started his deep submergence business. Prior to the June 2023 dive, Rush was sued for $210,000 by a couple in Florida concerning a planned 2018 dive to the Titanic that they claim was repeatedly canceled and postponed. The couple claimed that they were unable to get a refund due to Rush's actions. After Rush's death, the couple dropped the lawsuit out of respect for the lives lost on the Titan.
Social Network
There is limited information available about Stockton Rush's presence on social networks, as he was not particularly active on platforms like Twitter or Instagram.
Education
Rush graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering and later earned an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley. This educational background laid the foundation for his successful career in both aerospace and ocean exploration.
In conclusion, Stockton Rush's life and career were marked by innovation, ambition, and tragedy. His legacy continues to inspire interest in deep-sea exploration, even as OceanGate Expeditions remains suspended following the tragic incident involving the Titan submersible.
Rush married pilot and teacher Wendy Weil in 1986, and they had two children. Weil is the great-great-granddaughter of Isidor and Ida Blun Straus, both of whom died in the sinking of the Titanic. She was the former Director of Communications at OceanGate.
