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Sylvia Wilks

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American wealthy woman

Sylvia Wilks
Sylvia (right) on her wedding day with her mother (left) and her husband Matthew Astor Wilks (center).
BornHarriet Sylvia Ann Howland Green
(1871-01-07)January 7, 1871
London, England
DiedFebruary 5, 1951(1951-02-05) (aged 80)
New York City, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Spouse Matthew Astor Wilks ​ ​(m. 1909; died 1926)​
MotherHetty Green
Relatives

Harriet Sylvia Ann Howland Robinson Green Wilks (January 7, 1871 – February 5, 1951) was one of the wealthiest women in the United States.

Early life

Harriet Sylvia Ann Howland Robinson Green was born in London, England on January 7, 1871. Although named Harriet after her mother, she was known as Sylvia throughout her lifetime. She was the daughter of Hetty Howland (née Robinson) Green and Edward Henry Green. Her only sibling was a brother, businessman Edward Howland Robinson Green.

Personal life

On February 23, 1909, Sylvia, then 38 years old, was married to 63-year-old Matthew Astor Wilks (1844–1926) in Morristown, New Jersey. Wilks was a great-grandson of America's first millionaire John Jacob Astor. Although Wilks was worth approximately $2,000,000 in his own right, her mother insisted that they have a prenuptial agreement waiving his right to inherit Sylvia's fortune. When her brother died in 1936, she inherited his estate, rather than the estate going to his widow.

Her husband died on July 9, 1926, at his home, 7 West 81st Street in New York City. He was buried at Immanuel Cemetery in Bellows Falls, Vermont.

Sylvia, who was then living at 998 Fifth Avenue, died at New York Hospital on February 5, 1951, and was buried alongside her husband at Immanuel Cemetery in Vermont. She left an estate valued at $94,965,229 (approximately $1,115,154,000 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.

Estate

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.

Wilks donated $3 million to the FDNY's Honor Emergency Fund. In 1958 the Fire Department commissioned a new $900,222 fireboat named in her honor.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Green Grist". Time. May 3, 1937. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
  2. "Matthew A. Wilks Dies. J.J. Astor Descendant. Son-in-Law of the Late Hetty Green Was a Member of Many Clubs". The New York Times. August 4, 1926. Retrieved June 9, 2008.
  3. Slack, Charles, Hetty: The Genius and Madness of America's First Female Tycoon. New York: Ecco (2004) ISBN 0-06-054256-X.
  4. "Matthew A. Wilks Dies. J.J. Astor Descendant. Son-in-Law of the Late Hetty Green Was a Member of Many Clubs" (PDF). The New York Times. August 4, 1926. Retrieved June 9, 2008.
  5. "MATTHEW A. WILKS'S WILL.; Mrs. Hetty Green's Son-In-Law Left Estate to Widow" (PDF). The New York Times. September 21, 1926. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  6. Netburn, Deborah (August 7, 2000). "Astor's 998 Fifth Home Gets $16 Million Nibble; Buyers Kept on Ice". Observer. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  7. "MRS. HETTY WILKS DEAD AT AGE OF 80. Daughter Of Hetty Green, Noted For Financial Manipulations, Wed Descendant Of Astor "Accustomed To Economy" Active Until Last Year" (PDF). The New York Times. February 6, 1951. Retrieved June 9, 2008.
  8. "Mrs. H. Wilks Dead At Age Of 80. Daughter Of Hetty Green, Noted For Financial Manipulations, Wed Descendant Of Astor "Accustomed To Economy" Active Until Last Year". The New York Times. February 6, 1951. Retrieved June 9, 2008.
  9. "Hetty Green's Daughter Leaves $94,965,229". Los Angeles Times. September 27, 1952. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
  10. "Hetty Green's Only Daughter, 80, Dies". Los Angeles Times. February 7, 1951. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
  11. ^ "Mother Knew Better". Time. March 31, 1952. Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved June 9, 2008.
  12. "Wilks Estate Is Put At 95 Millions, Third Of It In One Checking Account; Mrs. Wilks' Assets Put At 95 Millions". The New York Times. March 20, 1952. Retrieved June 9, 2008.
  13. "Archer and Wilks". The New York Times. January 22, 1958. p. 26. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
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