Her name was listed in the Guinness Book of records labeled “The meanest man in the world”.
July 3, 1916 died the greedy woman in the world. Henrietta Howland Getty green, which the eye called the “witch of wall street” ruined not greed – she died at 81 of a heart attack. Her name was listed in the Guinness Book of records labeled “The meanest man in the world”. At the time of death Getty was the richest woman of that time, her condition was counted at 4 billion. It owned more than 8 thousand plots of land were noble usurer and bought up the shares of companies associated with the Railways.
Henrietta was born in 1834 in a family who owned a real state. The main source of income Holodov was whale oil. Her upbringing is entirely engaged in grandfather Gideon Howland. Henrietta belonged to a Protestant religious group of the Quakers, quite common while in the New England States. The name “Quaker” comes from the English “quake — to tremble, to tremble. Among the vital precepts of the Quakers has always been self-restraint, simplicity in food and clothing.
When vision old Gideon began to weaken, a seven-year Getty climbed on his lap and with a genuine interest read the newspaper reports of the financial news, well understand the difference between stocks and bonds. At the age of 13 – became the family bookkeeper.
About her incredible thrift in time turned into the stinginess, is legendary. Henrietta was quite a pretty girl, but grooms was a bit concerned that the young girl goes in one and the same that rumpled dress and worn shoes. After his mother’s death, Getty was rarely satisfied with the techniques. And the word “arranged” is too inappropriate here: it is said that young green was extinguished expensive candles until after the guests, and cinders were sold the next day; swipe a millionaire’s daughter, not thrown, but sprinkled with water and ironed with an iron, to use them again.
After his father’s death in 1865, Henrietta became the successor state in an impressive $ 7.5 million. In that time, she met her future husband, Edward Greene.
In the family American Greens were congressmen and judges, and his uncle was the mayor of Boston. The very same Edward who spoke several languages, including Chinese, has traveled halfway around the world. Eighteen years he stayed in the Philippines, where he made a considerable fortune in trade with silk, tea, tobacco and hashish.
Edward supported the Henrietta, when his father passed away, and after the death of her aunt. Two years later, Henriette agreed to go down the aisle with Edward green. The couple legalized their relationship and “bonded” to their marriage contract, according to which Edward was not entitled to one penny from the state of Getty. Family is family, and money separately. And even when her husband went bankrupt and got into debt, Getty did not help his wife. She just chased him away.
Even then, Getty green knew all to wall street. She owned acres of land and real estate. She had no equal in usury and gambling: brokers knew, if Getty green buys the company’s shares, then tomorrow the price of these securities will soar to the heavens. Buying securities, Getty learned all the ins and outs of the company and could tell about it even more than the owner. From marriage Henrietta had two children: ned and Sylvia, who periodically suffered from excessive thrift of the mother. Green did not have their own homes, living in cheap motels to save on medications and products. Henrietta almost never spend on clothes and shoes and underwear changed only when the previous one turned into rags. She never used the services of maids and laundresses. After reading the day’s newspaper, she sent ned to sell the newspaper. The store could haggle for hours over every penny – most of the sellers hated the Getty.
Due to the avarice of the Henrietta and her son ned lost his leg. In one of the frosty winters, Ned was bought sleds. The guy couldn’t believe his luck and immediately chose to ski the steep and dangerous hill. During one of the descents, the sled capsized and the boy badly injured leg. In a fit of economy, Henrietta went for help in a hospital for the poor. Unfortunately, the trap all knew in the face. Doctors refused to help her son. Then, the Getty has decided to treat his son at home: several years, ned suffered from terrible pain, and then underwent a leg amputation above the knee.
Aging Getty never left the fear of assassination and the rare friends she came with their own food and even alcohol burner for cooking eggs. After receiving a license to carry firearms, never parted with him. Appeared cars, like all luxury goods, rejected, saying: “Jesus Christ was enough to move the donkey. At the moment her morning walk “in the service” the lens of the photographer and grabbed the unusual shape of this woman: dull black cloak, a hat with widow’s veil, the wicked old face and sharp, not senile gait. Whether this repulsive, whether the persistent rumors of strange and extraordinary actions were the emergence of its newspaper nickname “witch of wall Street”.
At 81 years old he died of a heart attack. Her two children inherited a huge fortune of about 4 billion dollars at current money. Ned Greene later became known by the nickname “uncle ned”. His part he invested in the good life, cars, and technological developments. Sylvia was a generous philanthropist. Photo Getty, along with his daughter Sylvia.
After his mother died, ned almost immediately got married and became interested in the automobile industry. Of course, the private car became one of the first acquisitions of the family.
