KeithMillionaires can be a funny old lot. Sometimes the mighty influx of millions can fog the brain to such an extent that it can border on madness. Here are some weird and wonderful true stories about the eccentric rich.
1. The Millionaire Who Hid Millions in Garbage Bags: Hetty Green
Hetty Green, known as the “Witch of Wall Street,” was one of the wealthiest women in America during the Gilded Age (late 1800’s early 1900’s), amassing a fortune of $100 million (equivalent to over $2 billion today). Despite her incredible wealth, she was famously frugal, even to the point of eccentricity. Green would wear the same black dress every day, rarely heating her home, and only changing clothes when they wore out. Her legendary stinginess was so extreme that she once refused to pay for a doctor to treat her son’s injured leg, opting for a free clinic instead, which eventually led to his leg being amputated.
Perhaps the strangest part? Green didn’t trust banks, so she stashed her cash in various locations, including trunks, suitcases, and even garbage bags. She was also known to carry large sums of cash with her while conducting business, fearful someone would steal her hidden wealth. Despite her peculiar habits, Hetty Green is remembered as one of history’s richest and most eccentric millionaires.
2. The Millionaire Who Left Her Fortune to Dogs: Leona Helmsley
Leona Helmsley, famously known as the “Queen of Mean,” was a New York real estate mogul with a reputation for her no-nonsense (and sometimes harsh) personality. When she passed away in 2007, Helmsley left her entire $12 million fortune to her beloved Maltese dog, Trouble. Meanwhile, her grandchildren were either left out of the will entirely or given significantly smaller sums.
Trouble, now a millionaire, became one of the wealthiest pets in the world, with personal security and luxury accommodations. Although a judge eventually reduced Trouble’s inheritance, the strange story didn’t end there—Helmsley also requested that her vast estate be used to care for dogs everywhere, a wish that has partially been honored through her charitable trust, which has donated millions to animal welfare causes.
3. The Millionaire Who Tried to Clone Himself: John Sperling
John Sperling, the founder of the University of Phoenix, earned a fortune through for-profit education. But Sperling’s interests extended far beyond business; he was a major supporter of genetic research, and he dreamed of using his wealth to “improve” human genetics. Sperling was deeply interested in cloning and even funded controversial experiments with the goal of extending life and creating what he believed would be a better version of himself.
Sperling’s unusual investments included cloning his beloved dog, Missy, in 1998 for a staggering $3.7 million. This project, known as the “Missyplicity Project,” was one of the earliest private attempts at pet cloning and helped pave the way for today’s pet cloning industry. Sperling continued investing in genetic projects and transhumanism until his death, leaving behind a legacy not only in education but in the push toward genetic engineering and cloning experimentation.
4. Ronald Read The Millionaire Janitor
One of the strangest millionaire stories of all time is the tale of Ronald Read, a janitor and gas station attendant from Vermont, who amassed a fortune of nearly $8 million. Read, known for his simple lifestyle, was the kind of person who wore flannel shirts, drove an old car, and chopped his own firewood. He even used safety pins to hold his coat together. People who knew him never suspected he was a multimillionaire.
Read’s fortune was hidden in plain sight. He quietly invested in blue-chip stocks over several decades, patiently reinvesting his dividends. When he passed away in 2014, at the age of 92, his astonishing wealth was discovered. He had left almost his entire fortune to a local hospital and library, shocking the small town where he lived.
What makes this story even stranger is the simplicity of his strategy: no high-risk ventures, no flashy spending, just quiet, consistent investing. Read’s story has since become an inspirational tale about the power of modesty, patience, and the surprising ways wealth can be accumulated by those who live below their means.
I hope you enjoyed these stories about our wacky millionaires. If you did, give this post a share and leave a comment below. It helps me to continually create content each week and offer it to you. Check out my range of books, including Millionaire Mind Crush
Have a great day
Keith
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