dagblog - Comments for "Heiress, who secluded herself in New York City's largest apartment for decades, dies at 104"

Some of The Richest People

EmmaZahn — Thu, 26 May 2011 01:17:03 +0000

In reply to Reading the NYT obit, I was

Some of The Richest People You've Never Heard Of. Miss Clark is not in their report.

Reading the NYT obit, I was

Michael Wolraich — Wed, 25 May 2011 20:37:54 +0000

In reply to Heiress, who secluded herself in New York City's largest apartment for decades, dies at 104

Reading the NYT obit, I was struck pretty hard by the horror of excess wealth. Some people get pissed off at private planes and extravagant parties, but to me, this woman's wasted life--hidden away with her dolls in a palatial apartment and various hospital suites while the nearby ER filled with poor people lacking healthcare insurance--is a greater testament to the flaws of our society. Perhaps even Ms. Clark agreed, as suggested by the last line of the WSJ article.

I had never heard of Hugette

EmmaZahn — Wed, 25 May 2011 20:13:26 +0000

In reply to The NYT made it a full page

I had never heard of Hugette Clark until I saw the WSJ obit. They do not do many of them. That and scions of great fortunes and the perpetuities that support them very much intrigue me just now. The fate of the Cargill heirs is interesting too. There may be some nostalgia for the poor little rich girl stories of Frances Hodgson Burnett at play too. Mostly though it is political. Down with perpetuities.

The Times writer is very funny, unintentionally of course. She is very openly astounded by Clark's reclusiveness. The living in hospitals stuff struck me much the same as it did you. I did think that that may have given Clark a way to mingle anonymously with fellow patients.

I look forward to learning more about Miss Hugette Clark.

The NYT made it a full page

artappraiser — Wed, 25 May 2011 19:11:29 +0000

In reply to Heiress, who secluded herself in New York City's largest apartment for decades, dies at 104

The NYT made it a full page obit with a front-page lede 3-columns wide,

as "the last link to New York's gilded age" with a father "who once bought himself a United States Senate seat as casually as another man might buy a pair of shoes, had been born before the Mexican War." I had no idea about the living in hospitals stuff. Bizarre. Kind of takes Maggie Mahar's "money-driven medicine" tales about hospital luxury suites to a whole 'nother level.

According to the Times' obit, MSNBC had found hers an interesting (and profitable?) tale to tell documentary style--I also had no idea there were Hugette Clark story fans.