Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-03
RICHEST WOMAN"
HETTY GREEN, DIES
Worlds Most Remarkable
Mistress of Finance Leaves
Close to 100000, 900.

NEW YORK. July 3.-Mrs. Hetty
Green, known is the worlds wealthiest
woman. who was eighty years old. died
here today. She had suffered three
strokes of paralysis during the past
two months and for several weeks had
been practically helpless.
Her death occurred at sos o'clock at
the home of her son. Col. Edward r. H.
Green. at No. West 90th street. ad-
joining the plain brick, four-story
house at No. :. on the corner of Cen
trail Park West. where Mrs. Green had
lived lately in seclusion, except for her
trained nurses.
For several weeks past Mrs. Green
had been unable to walk and had spent
practically all of her time in a wheel
chair The nurses occasionally lifted
her into her automobile. where, prop
ped up by pillows and protected by
furs. she enjoyed few afternoons in
the park. Most of the time, however,
she sat in the wheel chair at one of the
front windows on the parlor floor OF
her house and gazed over the park.
motionless. for hours at time.
Leaves Approximately 100000, 900
Hetty Green was the worlds most re-
markable mistress of finance. The for
tune she has left is close to $100,000.000.
The richest woman in America, she
lived almost as frugally as a shopgirl.
Her home was wherever she chose for a
time to hang her little black cape and
bonnet. often in the hall bedroom of
some cheap boarding house. or in some
remote and modest fat around New
York.
Her eccentric extremes of economy
led to a popular mfsconception of her
as a "self-made woman" AS a matter
of fact she was born rich. In 1865 she
inherited nearly s10,oo0.o00, which ac-
cumulated upon itself until in fifty
years 1t mad multiplied nearly ten
times. She also inherited family tradi-
tions, which had beep a pride for three
centuries, and which she was anxious
to perpssuatse ter In her en1idren ,s,.
New Bedford, Mass. This old maritime
city was founded by her ancestor. John
Howland. a Puritan. who came over on
the Mayfower and who named the
place after Bedford. his family home in
England. In succeeding generations
the Howland family became famous in
the whaling industry and shipping
trade with China, and had an ire
nroachable social standing. Edward
Mott Robinson, who had also amassed
a fortune In a similar way In New Bed
ford,-1narried Abby Howland, Of whom
Hetty Robinson. the future mistress of
finance, was born. She was sent to a
Quaker school on Cape Cod. and to "a
seminary in Boston, and got her first
lessons in finance when her aging
father entrusted her with some Of his
books.
She was just thirty years old when
her father died suddenly. leaving her
and s the the income from the other eight. the
principal to be held in truSt for her
Children. It is forgotten that Hetty
New" New YORK society. according to her
own stories she "often danced the
whole night through" Even then,
however, she lived in a boarding house
and was SO saving that rather than
nay car fare she would pull a pair of
heavy woolen stockings over her shoes
and walk through the snow to parties.
She married in 1857. Her husband
was Edward II. Green. who was United
states consul general In Manila. where
he had made q fortune in the silk
trade, It is said Green. at a public
dinner, heard some one speak of Hetty
Robinson as "the greatest American
heiress," and straightaway announced
his determination to marry her. Before
the wedding day an agreement was
signed to the effect that the wife's for
tune should never be drawn on to meet
the husbands debts or any of their
Joint expenses. He died In 1902. after