Name Harriet Ann Parents Hetty Green | Spouse Matthew Astor (m. 1909) | |
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Born January 7, 1871 Hoboken, New Jersey Net worth $95M (1951)
$443M (2007 dollars) Relatives Edward Howland Robinson Green, brother
Sylvia Ann Howland, grandaunt Died February 5, 1951, New York Hospital | ||
Hetty Sylvia Ann Howland Robinson Green Wilks (January 7, 1871 – February 5, 1951) was one of the wealthiest women in the United States.
Biography
She was born in London, England on January 7, 1871 to Hetty Howland Robinson and Edward Henry Green. Her brother was Edward Howland Robinson Green (1868–1936). Throughout her life she was generally known as Sylvia rather than by her given first name.
She married Matthew Astor Wilks (1844–1926), great grandson of America's first millionaire John Jacob Astor, in Morristown, New Jersey February 23, 1909; she was 32 and he was 63. When her brother died in 1935, she inherited his estate, rather than the estate going to his widow.
Sylvia Green Wilks died on February 5, 1951 leaving an estate of $94,965,229 (approximately $876,558,000 today). The list of assets included 36 pages of bonds, eight pages of blue-chip stocks, and $31 million in a non interest bearing checking account.
Her will was found stuffed in a tin cabinet with four cakes of soap. She bestowed just $5,000 on her closest genetic relative, a cousin, but the court awarded her $140,000 during probate. The remainder was divided between 63 charities and educational institutions.