The Story of Hetty Green
At the end of the 19th century in New York, an old woman was often seen walking up and down Wall Street. Her old black dress was dirty and she always walked alone carrying a bag with lunch inside. She was a familiar sight that everybody called her “The Witch of Wall Street.” Her name was Hetty Green, and you wouldn’t believe that she was a millionaire.
Hetty was born into a rich family 21st November 1834. She was an only child, and because her mother was too ill to raise her, her father and grandfather care of Hetty. They taught her to understand money from a young age. They also read financial reports to her while parents read bedtime stories to their children.
When Hetty grew up, she became a financier. Although her writing contained spelling mistakes, she definitely understood numbers. More importantly, she knew to make money. She bought and sold railroads and gave loans.
Hetty believed that all men were only interested her money. She was 33 when she met Edward Green, who decided her not just for her money. After their wedding, they moved into a small house and had two children, Ned and Sylvia. Unfortunately, Edward wasn’t as good with money Hetty, so she did everything she could to keep their finances separate. In the end, Edward moved out of the house and Hetty didn’t even want to look after him the last months of his life.
Their two children lived a poor existence with their mother and they both old dirty clothes because Hetty didn’t want to buy them new ones. Sylvia had very few friends and Ned’s life wasn’t easy either. One day, when he the street, he was hit by a horse. The accident left him in need of medical help. But Hetty to take him to hospital because she didn’t want to pay for the medical care there. Although she thought his leg would get better by itself, it got worse and in the end it had to be amputated.
When Hetty died in 1916, she was than anybody else in the USA. She left her millions to her children who each chose different ways spending the money. Sylvia made few changes in her life, but Ned started spending the money. But he died soon after, leaving the rest of his money to Sylvia, who decided to give all of it to charity.
