Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1916-07-07
OBITUARY OF HETTY GREEN

"e&S "~iisatt Wish a putpuSt. one
aspired to be the richest woman in
! the world. Her love for piling up
dollars dominated the thought and
action of her entire career. She gave
up society, quarreled with her family.
antagonized her business associates,
lived misery, made money and talked
religion. She died tremendously
wealthy woman, but not the richest
woman in the world.
Mrs. Green's fortune exceeded
S100,000,000. How much it exceeded
that is not now known. Both Mrs.
Marshall Field and Mrs. E. III. Harri-
man possess greater wealth than that.
Neither of the last named women
however, built up their fortunes. Mrs.
Green added more than 100000, 900
to. the S10,O00,000 her parents left
her. Before she got the $4,000, 900
she had built up quite a comfortable
fortune of her own from the neucleus
of $25 savings account deposited to
her credit by her father.
No one ever questioned that Hetty
Green was the worlds greatest wo-
man financier. AS such she reigned
spreme for fifty of her eighty odd
years. She was Hetty Rowland Rob-
inson, of New Bedford, Mass, where
she was born Nov. 81, 1885. Her par
ents were of old New England stock,
tracing their ancestors back to the
Mayflower.
From the moment Hetty Robinson
got the $25 savings account until the
moment of her death the accumulation
of money was the ruling passion of
her life.
In the early days of her career,
when She was society belle and
heires of New York, Saratoga and
Newport, she lived fashionably and
luxuriously. Even then, however, she
interepersed her social activities with
frequent visits to her fathers count
ing rooms, becoming eventually his
secretary and financial adviser. Mark
ct reports and investments became a
mania with her. She read, thought,
talked and ealth with little else. 1t
was upon her advice, gained from her
study of conditions, that her father
invested in Chicago real estate in the
early days, later netting $4,000, 10000
profit from the venture.
Until Hetty Robinson was nearly 30
she devoted her time to society and
money making. Then Edward Green,
for 20 years U. S. Consul at Manila
and interested in big silk importing
house in which he. had made several
millions Of his own, publicly announc-
ed at Anew York dinner that he pro
posed to marry the wealthiest heiress
in America. Hetty Robinson, he was
told, was that person. Green OBJ
tanned an introduction and made god
his brag. They were married July z,
1867.
1t was rather coldblooded propsi-
ton however. Miss Robinson agreed
to marry Green only after he signed
contract pledging himself never to
touch penny of her fortune and to
support both herself and any chill
dren there might be, from his own
funds.
The Greens had two children: Syl-
via and Edward Rowland Robinson
Green. In 1909 Mrs. Green married
off Sylvia to Matthew Aston Wilks,
,, a man with more than a million of
his own. Financially Sylvia unmar-
ried was dead loss to Hetty areen
and the wedding ceased the debit side
of Hetty's ledger.
1t was the boy, Eddie" as his
mother has called him despite his
$50 burly pounds of huskiness, that
found the soft spot in Hetty Green's
heart Eide was the only human be-
ing to whom Hetty Green never open
ly begrudged money. She evidenced
her affection for him by devoting the
last 35 years Of her life to an attempt
to make him the richest man in the
world She sought with business
craft and cunning in hundreds Of
ways to accomplish this. But she
failed. Just as in her ambition to be
the richest woman in the world, she
failed
Shortly before her marriage to
Green, Hetty Rosnson inherited the
$1,000 900 from her parents. Just
about that time Sylvia Rowland an
aunt, also died. Sylvia, Hetty all
ways understood, was going TO leave
her estate Of S2,500000, but the viii
showed half eft left to charity and
the income from the other half left TO
Het y a month LATER, after learn