What was Huguette Clark's Net Worth?
Huguette Clark was a painter, copper heiress, and philanthropist who had a net worth of $300 million at the time of her death in 2011. Clark earned infamy due to her reclusiveness in later years, famously maintaining numerous large properties she rarely visited. Before her reclusivity, she dedicated herself to painting and collecting antiques. Clark passed away at the age of 104.
Upon her death, Clark left behind a $300 million fortune, most of which was donated to charity after a legal battle with her distant relatives. A feature film of her life is planned, based on the bestselling book "Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune".
Early Life
Huguette Clark was born on June 9, 1906, in Paris, France, to father William A. Clark and mother, Anna. Her father was a former US Senator from Montana who amassed his wealth through copper mining and was one of the founders of Las Vegas, Nevada. Clark's mother was an aspiring musician and singer. Clark had an older sister, Louise, and five half-siblings from her father's first marriage: Mary, Charles, Katherine, William Jr., and Francis.
Clark spent her early childhood in France, moving to New York City at age five. She attended the Spence School and lived in a six-story, 121-room mansion, the largest house in the city at the time. Following her father's death in 1925, she moved to an apartment with her mother.
Real Estate
Huguette Clark was known for her notable real estate holdings. Among these was her family's 23-acre Bellosguardo estate in Santa Barbara, California. She also helped clean up a 42-acre saltwater marsh across the street, donating $50,000 in 1928 to create an artificial freshwater lake named the Andrée Clark Bird Refuge, in honor of her sister who had died of meningitis.
Clark later returned to her New York City apartment, expanding it to encompass the entire eighth floor and eventually growing it to 42 rooms, including a library, drawing room, and living room. She inherited Bellosguardo in 1963 after her mother's death. Additionally, she purchased an estate in New Canaan, Connecticut, called Le Beau Chateau in 1952.
Art Career
As a painter, Clark exhibited her work in 1929 at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Besides her own creations, she was an avid collector of antique objects such as dolls and toys. Occasionally, Clark attended Christian Dior fashion shows in New York, drawing inspiration for doll clothing.
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Hospitalization and Reclusivity
Clark grew increasingly suspicious of others and feared that people, including her family, were after her fortune. By the early 90s, she had become feeble with cancerous lesions, leading to her admission to Doctors Hospital for reconstructive surgery. She remained hospitalized for the rest of her life, first at Doctors Hospital and then at Beth Israel Medical Center following a merger.
During her nearly 20-year hospital stay, she became close to her private nurse Hadassah Peri, gifting her over $30 million in property, cash, and medical expenses. While her net worth exceeded $300 million, Clark was often cash-poor and sold properties and possessions to fund these gifts to friends and strangers.
In early 2010, NBC News investigative journalist Bill Dedman reported on Clark's reclusive lifestyle and vacant estates, revealing that caretakers hadn't seen her in decades. With Paul Clark Newell Jr., Dedman wrote the bestselling book "Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune."
Death and Estate Settlement
Huguette Clark passed away on May 24, 2011, just shy of her 105th birthday, while living under the pseudonym Harriet Chase. She was buried in her family mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. Her last will, filed in June 2011, left 75% of her estate to charity. It also granted $30 million to her nurse Hadassah Peri, $12 million to her goddaughter Wanda Styka, and $8 million to the Bellosguardo Foundation. Other employees received around $2 million, and Beth Israel Hospital received $1 million.
There was controversy over an earlier will, signed six weeks before the later one, that left Clark's estate to her family. Distant relatives contested the second will, alleging that Clark was mentally ill and manipulated by Peri. Ultimately, the will was settled in September 2013, with relatives receiving $34.5 million and the rest going to the arts.
Posthumous Sales
After Clark's death, 17 items from her jewel collection were auctioned at Christie's for over $20 million. Her penthouse at 907 Fifth Avenue sold for $25.5 million to hedge fund manager Boaz Weinstein, and her eighth-floor apartment sold for $22.5 million to financier Frederick Iseman. In 2014, her New Canaan chateau sold to fashion designer Reed Krakoff and his wife for $14.3 million.
