Reclusive, Eccentric, and the Richest Woman Alive

Hetty Green was a lot of things: a reclusive woman who avoided the spotlight, an investment guru of many names, and the richest woman of her time. Born into a life of know-how and finance, she earned her stripes early and went against typical 19th-century standards. She handled her own money, taught other women to do the same, and quickly drew a lot of attention—let’s explore the highlights from this tycoon’s life. 

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1. She Was Born into Wealth

Right out of the gate, you could say Hetty was destined for the good life. In 1834, she was born Henrietta Howland Robinson to the richest whaling family in Massachusetts. Her care was primarily left to her father and grandfather as “Hetty’s” mother was often too sick to do it alone. 

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2. She Was an Early Businesswoman

At the tender age of two, Hetty was sent to live with her aunt and grandfather where she quickly developed a taste for numbers, business, and investments. By age six, fully immersed in her father’s business, she’d allegedly read financial papers to him—a skill that would soon prove incredibly useful. 

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3. She Was a Bookkeeper at 13

Do you remember your first job? Maybe delivering newspapers or shoveling driveways for a quick buck? Not Hetty. At just 13 years old her father recruited her as the family’s bookkeeper where she balanced the numbers and even spoke with stock brokers. 

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4. She Ditched the Norms Early

Hetty may have had non-traditional wisdom, but she was still a 19th-century woman, and that meant marriage. Her father spent a lot of money at the time to primp his daughter for the right suitor—but Hetty wasn’t having it. When she was twenty years old, her father loaned $1,200 for clothing suitable to find a match. Hetty, however, invested the majority of it in high-quality bonds. 

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5. When She Did Marry, She Protected Herself

That’s not to say she never found love. In 1867 she married Edward Henry Green, an already wealthy businessman from Vermont, with the stipulation that he not inherit any of her money. Her will actually took it a step further and read that no husband would ever get their hands on it, or interfere with her affairs.  

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6. She Lost an Important Court Case

While her father supported the engagement, both he and Hetty’s aunt Sylvia passed away years earlier in 1865. Getting the money took lengthy legal battles as only one million dollars was available to Hetty from her aunt’s estate—the rest was left to charity. Hetty took it to court but ultimately lost the Robinson v. Mandell case; she produced an earlier will that supposedly nullified future ones, but the court determined that the signature on the presented will was forged. 

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7. She Was an Exceptional Investor

Despite climbing the ladder so early, Hetty maintained a pretty cavalier attitude towards investments. Her advice? “Buy low and sell high.” Though we’ve undoubtedly heard that mentality before, that simplicity earned her millions of dollars. On some days alone she earned more than $200,000. 

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8. Her Husband Nearly Tanked Her (and Her Reputation)

It’s a good thing Hetty protected herself because Edward proved far worse with money. Edward was a partner at John J. Cisco & Son, a company that crashed in 1885 and left him with nearly $500,000 in debt. Hetty, on the other hand, was incredibly successful; she had that kind of money squirreled away in her bank account and nearly another $30 million in bonds. But she was used as collateral. Though she initially refused to pay, the bank froze her accounts until she agreed, and the whole debacle effectively ended the marriage. 

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9. “The Queen of Wall Street”

Millions of dollars in bonds. Hundreds of thousands in the bank. Knowledgeable since childhood. It’s easy to see how Hetty earned the “Queen of Wall Street” title. It wasn’t only her prowess that garnered such reverence—she also helped other women with their investments.

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10. She Taught Women to Manage Their Own Affairs

19th-century women were hardly expected to manage their own finances, but Hetty thought otherwise. She often offered advice to women of her time on how to handle their money. In fact, she believed it was a woman’s right to make her own living and gain a common understanding of mortgages and investments. 

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11. She Was Incredibly Stingy

Though Hetty had a lot of money in the bank, she was also frugal to a fault. In and out of hotels or boarding houses, she didn’t live lavishly. Some could argue that she didn’t even live very comfortably. She dressed in plain clothes and allegedly wouldn’t even splurge on medical care—which wound up hurting her family.

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12. She Sought a Simple Appearance

If Hetty wasn’t one for extravagant mansions, she certainly wasn’t one for extravagant clothing. She usually wore simple black clothing, a look that endured well after Edward’s passing in 1902, and her so-called homely appearance only made her a larger target in tabloids. 

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13. They Say She Was Responsible for an Amputation

While there’s no concrete evidence supporting the claim, it was alleged that Hetty’s stinginess cost her son Ned his leg. Ned’s leg was already damaged earlier in life, but rumors spread that Hetty wouldn’t pay for treatment. After falling down a flight of stairs, he was then taken to the hospital where they removed the leg. However, Edward went on record that Ned needed an amputation later in life and the injuries were heavily exaggerated. 

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14. She Treated Her Own Hernia (Sort Of)

That doesn’t mean she wasn’t stingy with money. When it came time to fund her own treatment, Hetty turned down a necessary surgery for a hernia she had in 1915. She allegedly claimed the doctors were after her money and opted to relieve the swelling with a stick she stuffed in her undergarments. 

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15. She Was a Prime Target for Gossip

At this point, Hetty was seen as an aging spinster clad in black. Rumors swirled and tabloids thrived, all claiming various things like she only washed the dirtiest parts of her dress to save on soap or wouldn’t pay for hot water. Despite her monumental success, she had no luck keeping her name out of the public eye.

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16. “The Witch of Wall Street”

When rumors spread that you only wear one dress, cruel nicknames soon follow, and she was eventually dubbed the “witch of Wall Street.” However, she also gave interviews and spoke publicly about her life as she aged, fluffing aside any gossip to remind people that she was a Quaker who lived a quiet life—and that none other would please her.

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17. Her Estate Was Worth $100,000,000

Say what you want about her clothes and lifestyle, Hetty passed away as one of the richest people alive. She passed at 81 in 1916 with a reported $100 million to her name. By today’s standards, you’re looking at about three billion dollars, making her the richest woman in the world at the time. 

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18. Her Son Married a Lady of the Evening

Her estate was split between her two children, Ned and Sylvia. Ned quickly married a woman of the night named Mabel, someone his mother hated, and went on to live a lavish life with the lady he loved—so lavish, in fact, that by 1917 he built a massive yacht for himself regarded as the costliest one of the time.

The Library of Congress on Wikimedia

19. Her Daughter Spent Millions of Dollars

Sylvia, on the other hand, lived a quiet life until Ned’s passing in 1935. She inherited his massive estate, never had any children, and spent much of her life as her mother did: reclusive. After her passing in 1951, she left $5000 to a cousin and gave the rest of her $95 million estate to charity. 

b. 1866 William Morrell Emery on Wikimedia

20. How Hetty’s Remembered

Whether you know her as the lady in black or an unstoppable finance tycoon, Hetty Green was her own brand of genius. She’s been featured in movies and songs, Green Hall in Wellesley College bears her name, and she won’t soon be forgotten as the “wizard of finance.” 

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