“Unlike the names of Edison, Beethoven, and Carnegie, the name of Hetty Green is not known to most people. During her life she was, however, the richest woman in the world.“Although she was wealthy, many would say the sick and homeless of her day were far richer. Because of her all-consuming desire for wealth, her name is virtually forgotten.
“Hetty Green is listed in a Guiness Book of World Records as ”the greatest miser.“ She kept a balance of $31 million in one bank. When she died she left an estate of $95 million.
“Her consuming desire for wealth caused her to spend very little. She lived on cold oatmeal so she wouldn’t have to pay for heat. Her son was forced to have his leg amputated because she refused to pay for an operation. And when she died in 1916, it was caused by apoplexy during an argument over the virtues of skim milk.
“…Hetty Green…was certainly rich, yet she was impoverished by her attitude, values, and lack of concern for others.