The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-01-12
WORTH s2o,ooo,ooc.
The Woman Who Acco mpanied Senator
Hill to the White House Dinner.

Washington Corr. Buffalo Commercial
Mrs. Phoebe Hearst of California,
whom Senator Hill took out to dinner
at the White House on Thursday night
last, enjoys the rare distinction of being
the only woman who has occupied two
hours of the Senator's attention since
his coming to Washington. She is the
widow of the late George Hearst, who
was twice a member of the United
States Senate. Her husband died about
three years ago. She is modest, attrac-
tive and practical woman, still on the
sunny side of fifty. She is one of the
richest women in America. At the time
of the Senator's death his estate was es~
timated to be worth SID, 00O,0 900. Every
penny of this sum was given without re-
serve to his wife. Under her careful
management, the various properties left
by her husband have so increased in
value that her fortune now cannot be
far from $40, 100000.
Since the Senator's death Mrs. Hearst
has lived but little in Washington, al
though formerly her house was the scene
of many of the most brilliant entertain
ments ever given at the national capital.
She now proposes making her home per-
manently in Washington, for, like most
Californians, San Francisco has little at
traction for her after long residence in
the East and in Europe. She occupies
the house which was owned by Charles
S. Fairchild of New York when he filled
the office of secretary of tie treasury
under the first Cleveland administration.
Senator Hearst paid Mr.. Fairchild 500.
900 for the property, and spent 500, 1000
additional in renodeling it, 1t is now
one of the most conspicuous houses in
Washington. 1t is situated on New
Hampshire avenue, near Dupont Circle,
and is only stones throw from the
house built in that locality some years
ago by the late Sunset Cox OF New
York. The British legation, which is
owned by the British government, and
the Brazilian legation are few blocks
to the east. The locality is one of the
most fashionable in Washington, and
the Hearst residence is one of the best
known in the neighborhood.
While not posing as a phllanthroplst,
Mrs. II earst eXpends large sums annually.
She recently gave the city of Anaconda,
Montona, which is the center OF large
copper mining region, in which she is
largely interested, 100000 for public
library. She has educated number of
young girls. many of whom gained dis
tinction in different lines of art for
which they had shown a talent, and
which Mrs Hearst's generosity enabled
them to develop. One of her proteges is a
clever American girl, Miss Eleanor Cal
houn, who has been for years promi
nent member of the London stage, and
probably the only real rival of Ellen
Terry in the affections of the English
theatre public. She was married at an
early age. and belongs to that type of
women who take on advancing years
gracefully. She has soft, brown eyes, set
In an oval face, which, in spite of the
fact that she has passed her first youth,
is very attractive. She still retains the
girIlsh figure of 20 years ago, and to
most men would be AS attractive in her
mature womanhood as most young
women of IS.