The Poor Little Rich Girl Spent Her Woolworth Millions Buying Men | Barbara Woolworth Hutton

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For many years, it was always the point of marriage for an heiress - to marry a rich man and increase the family’s wealth. And Edna Woolworth did just that. Edna Woolworth was the daughter of Frank Winfield Woolworth - the founder of the F. W. Woolworth Company. His stores were simply called Woolworth and they were America’s first chain of 5 and dime stores - meaning that all of the items in his stores were priced at 5 cents of 10 cents...when he first started. His stores made him one of the richest men during The Gilded Age. He had amassed a fortune of over $75 million - enough to leave his descendents financially stable for generations. And he is the grandfather of today’s subject. The poor little rich girl. She inherited a big chunk of that fortune.

So, how did she, one of the richest women in the world, die with only $3,500 in her bank account? It seems almost impossible, considering that she started out with over $40 million - more than $730 million adjusted for inflation in today’s money in 2024. But when you factor in her own crazy spending with a string of husbands who didn’t care about anything except for her money, it all seems a little more possible - the thought of her dying broke.

The poor little rich girl is Barbara Hutton. She was born into wealth from both sides of her family. But it was the wealth from her mother’s side that she became more known for. Barbara was often called The Woolworth Heiress. You might be like me and old enough to remember that there was once a chain of discount retail stores called Woolworth. They were all over the United States, then eventually expanded to many other countries including Canada, Mexico, England, and Germany.

As a child, Barbara had access to more money than most people can imagine. But it was what she was lacking…that was likely the biggest contributor to some horrible decisions that she made that led to her ultimate demise. Barbara didn’t have love at home. Edna Woolworth, the daughter of Frank Winfield Woolworth, was Barbara’s mother.

Now that we know how Barbara became an heiress, back to Edna, her mother. Edna did what her father wanted her to do - married that wealthy New York City stock broker. And while the marriage looked good on paper and satisfied her family, she was miserable in it, and it MIGHT have played a part in her early death. We’ll get there. Edna died when Barbara was only 4 years old. And Barbara’s father, instead of trying to make up for her mother’s absence, did the total opposite and neglected the poor child.

He would pawn her off on governesses, servants, other relatives and boarding schools. He never showed her any affection. The truth was that he hadn’t really been good at showing his wife much affection either. Barbara’s father - the fancy New York stock broker who seemed like such a prize to Frank Woolworth - was known to quite openly cheat on Edna.

And you know that they say that girl’s marry some version of their fathers. Barbara was no exception to this rule. And boy oh boy did she ever know how to pick some rotten apples. But her husbands were typically worse than her father. Her father was only a cheater. Many of her husbands were cheaters AND gold diggers.

That sets the stage for today’s subject. Barbara Hutton - The Poor Little Rich Girl. She became poorer with each marriage. There were 7 of them, by the way.

It's another Hot Mess History scandal from Ti. Your source for the hottest scandals from 1870 - 1940. Whether you are looking for scandals from The Gilded Age, The Titanic, or The Great Depression…you can find them on this channel.

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