Everyone knows the cheerful character in cartoons and fairy tales, the money-hungry millionaire Scrooge McDuck. However, not every New Yorker knows the story of a woman named Hetty Green who once lived in the metropolis and can be labeled his true prototype. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this American woman is considered the greediest in the world. She was very influential on Wall Street and had millions of dollars. But she harmed even her children with her greed. Hetty Green is called the richest miser of the 20th century and was known as the “Witch of Wall Street”. Her life story makes us rethink the value of some things and consider what really matters. Learn more on newyorka.
A life path of the “Witch of Wall Street”
Hetty Green was born on November 21, 1834, in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The girl’s parents owned a large whaling business and made good profits from trade with China. Hetty’s parents, Edward Robinson and Abby Howland devoted almost all of their time to their business. Therefore, at the age of 2, they gave their daughter to be raised by her grandfather-businessman, Gideon Howland, and aunt Sylvia. Gideon had poor eyesight, so little Hetty read him newspapers with summaries of various stock exchanges. At the age of 6, the girl was so fascinated by business that she spent her time reading financial newspapers instead of playing with dolls.
At the age of 15, Hetty Green became the family accountant. The girl was brought up with strictness from an early age. First, she graduated from a religious school and then entered a girls’ school in Boston. There were a lot of fans at the school. Hetty had a rather attractive appearance but a terrible character. But even then, she believed that men’s feelings for her were insincere and they all wanted only her inheritance. Nevertheless, Hetty’s clothes were not similar to those of a millionaire’s daughter: she wore dresses until they were holes and never washed them, wore shoes with trampled heels as well as dirty socks. One day, her father gave her $1,000 to go shopping in New York City, but Hetty came back without new clothes because she had invested all her money in bank stocks.
In 1864, Hetty’s father died and left her an inheritance of 7.5 million dollars, which the girl invested in US Civil War military loan bonds. At the age of 33, she married a multimillionaire, Edward Green. Before the wedding, Hetty made him sign a contract that he was not allowed to take a single cent of her fortune. At the time, Edward did not understand the extent of the problem and agreed.
The couple moved to New York City together. They had two children, a daughter Sylvia and a son Ned. Edward was engaged in investments, and Hetty increased her wealth. She devised a successful strategy: investing, saving cash for quick transactions and “prudent” thinking, under which the woman masked her unprecedented greed. Once Green’s husband went bankrupt, she didn’t give him a cent. As a result, the couple broke up, although they maintained a good relationship until Edward’s death.
Hetty Green was called the “Witch of Wall Street” because of her successful competition in the male world of business and her strange appearance. The authorities of New York City turned to her for lending during the hard times of the Bank Panic.
The greed of Hetty Green and the last years of her life
It was rumored that one day, the woman spent the whole night looking for a lost 2-cent stamp on the carriage’s floor. She only bought stale bread and cheap broken cookies at the store. Hetty Green hated spending money. When she came to a restaurant, she could make a scandal there so she would get her free lunch. The greed of Hetty Green had no limits. Once, her son Ned broke his leg and Hetty pretended to be a beggar in a hospital for the poor to save on treatment. As a result, Ned’s leg had to be amputated.
Hetty Green didn’t love anyone but her dog, Dewey. According to the woman, he was the only one who did not want money from her.
Hetty Green died of a heart attack in New York City when she was 81. Her children inherited $200 million from her and did everything not to be like their hateful mother.