The Richest Woman in the World Once Hailed from New Bedford

Known as “The Witch of Wall Street” and “The Queen of Wall Street”, Henrietta “Hetty” Howland Robinson Green was the daughter of a wealthy whaling fleet owner who took her destiny into her own hands, and became the wealthiest woman in the world by the time of her death in 1916.

Hetty was well ahead of her time, and her story is a valuable lesson in the power of education.

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Hetty’s Beginnings

Hetty was born in 1834 and proved to have a brilliant mind at a young age.

“By the age of six, as Hetty excelled at math and reading, she read the daily newspapers, including the financial reports, to her grandfather and father,” said Historic Women of the SoutCoast. “At the age of eight, Hetty opened up a bank account with saved nickels from allowances and rewards for good behavior.”

Truthfully, Hetty’s father, Edward, was bitter toward her daughter because he desperately wanted a son, but when he realized how smart his daughter was, she soon accompanied him on the waterfront to run the family whaling business, Isaac Howland Jr. and Company.

He taught Hetty how to read and even how to trade stock at the brokerage.

By the time Hetty was 15, she was well-versed in school and was her father’s attentive business student.

Unfortunately, as Hetty grew older, tension grew between her and her Aunt Sylvia, the other beneficiary of the family fortune.

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Tension Builds in the Family

When Hetty’s father died in 1865, he left her about $900,000 directly and about $5 million in trust, according to the Historic Women of the SouthCoast.

Two weeks later, Aunt Sylvia passed away, and a will was produced that gave $1 million to charities and $1 million in trust to Hetty as investments to be managed by Sylvia’s physician.

According to her father, Hetty was supposed to be the lawful heir of all the fortune, but neither her father nor her aunt gave her complete control over her inheritance.

Education Changed Hetty’s Life

Luckily for Hetty, she was incredibly smart and devised a plan.

Hetty came up with a plan for the money she could manage directly by contrary investing. She would buy stocks when they were low and sell when they were high.

By 1885, she had increased her fortune to $26 million. By the time she passed away in 1916, Hetty was the richest woman in the world, with her worth estimated at over $100 million, the equivalent of about $2.5 billion today.

Financial literacy and access to education can change lives. If it wasn’t for Hetty’s steadfast desire to learn about stocks and finances, she would have never been as well off as she was.

Hetty Walked So the Modern Woman Could Run

During her lifetime, she had a father who doubted her intelligence, an aunt who didn’t trust her, and later on, a husband who stole from her. But it never stopped her from taking complete control of her destiny and proving that a woman can control her own story.

Hetty believed that women should be taught how to make a living, how to manage money, and that being a businesswoman is socially acceptable.

Thanks to women like Mrs. Hetty Green, I am not forced to rely on my husband for financial literacy or support.

Thanks to Mrs. Hetty Green, the modern woman can thrive.