Green, Hetty (1834-1916), was an American businesswoman. At the time of her death, she was considered the richest woman in the world. She had inherited her father’s estate of about $6 million. Shrewd investments, chiefly in government bonds, railroad securities, and real estate, increased the estate to an estimated $100 million (the equivalent of $1.7 billion today). She spent little on personal comforts.
Henrietta “Hetty” Howland Robinson was born on Nov. 21, 1834, in New Bedford, Massachusetts. She was the only surviving child of wealthy Massachusetts financier Edward Mott Robinson. Hetty’s early Quaker education and her childhood role as the eyes and ears for her father’s company finances may have prepared her for a shrewd, but keen, understanding of business and a frugal lifestyle. She inherited her father’s fortune upon his death in 1865 and a portion of her aunt’s wealth in the 1870’s.
In 1867, Hetty married Edward H. Green, a wealthy businessman. By mutual agreement, the couple’s finances were kept separate. This allowed Hetty Green to maintain control of her own money. Her clever management and investments eventually proved to be more than a match for the male financiers of the time. Green was one of the first women to make a fortune on Wall Street.
When the American banker J.P. Morgan called together some of America’s most prominent financial leaders to help bail out banks following the 1907 stock market crash, Hetty Green was the one woman in attendance. She personally wrote out a check for $1.1 million.
Hetty Green was a favorite target of the media, which nicknamed her “The Witch of Wall Street” for her strident personality, extreme thriftiness, and well-worn long, black dresses. Despite her vast wealth, Green lived in rented flats while her peers lived in mansions. She died in New York City on July 3, 1916. At the time of her death, Green owned about 6,000 pieces of real estate in 48 states. Her holdings included cemeteries, hotels, office buildings, railroads, theaters, and the mortgages for nearly 600 churches. She left her fortune to her two children, Ned and Sylvia Green.
