Henrietta Robinson was born on Nov. 21, 1834. She came from a wealthy Quaker family. She learned business and finance from her father and grandfather. At age 13, she took over as accountant for her family business. At age 20, her father bought her an expensive wardrobe of dresses to attract wealthy suitors. She sold the dresses and invested in government bonds. She did eventually marry Edward Green, a wealthy businessman. She insisted he sign a pre-nuptial so he could not touch her money. Hetty had inherited $10 million from her father and maternal aunt. Not content with most of her aunt’s fortune, she sued for all of it claiming to have an earlier will that negated the official will. Five years later, a court determined Hetty had forged her aunt’s signature. This woman really loved money. She built up her inheritance to the point where she was the wealthiest woman in the world. She did this through shrewd investments in real estate, stocks, and bonds. She was not an industrialist like the Robber Barons. She was an accumulator of money. She became the wealthiest woman in American and the most famous miser. During the Panic of 1907, wealthy men had to come hat in hand to get loans. She became known as the “Witch of Wall Street”. She lived a very frugal life. She lived in a low rent apartment with her son and daughter. She wore the same old black dress every day. When her son broke his leg, she tried to nurse him at home. That wasn’t working so she dressed him in rags and brought him to the charity hospital. The doctors recognized her and demanded payment. She immediately took her son home and went back to nursing him on her own. Eventually, he had to have his leg amputated. When she died in 1916, her estate was $100 million.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hetty-Green
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hetty_Green
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