Hetty Green: The Most Stingy Woman in History

Hetty Green, often referred to as the most stingy woman in history, amassed a wealth estimated at more than $2.3 billion. Born in America in 1835, she was the only daughter of a wealthy businessman and inherited a fortune of $7.5 million from her father. At twenty-one, she moved to New York to invest in Wall Street, earning the nickname the Wicked Witch of Wall Street.

Despite marrying a millionaire, Hetty lived frugally, subsisting on leftover cakes and broken biscuits from grocery stores and arguing daily for a free bone for her dog. Known for her extreme miserliness, she sewed her own underpants at sixteen and wore them until her death, never spending on hot water, wearing the same black dress until it wore out, and eating a two-cent pie. Her son had to have his leg amputated after she delayed treatment to avoid spending money, searching for free medical care instead.

Hetty Green died in 1916 at 81 in New York City, listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “most stingy person in the world.” She died from a stroke during a quarrel with her maid over a salary increase. Her children, in contrast, were generous; her daughter even built a free hospital with the inherited fortune.