More Stories On Wellington’s Millions

by:  Peter J. Gallagher

Last week, we featured a post about the estate of grumpy Saginaw, Michigan lumber baron Wellington Burt ("Worth The Wait? Midwest Lumber Baron's Fortune Passes To Heirs 90 Years After His Death").  You might recall that Burt decreed, in his hand written will, that none of his heirs would receive a cent of his $90 million fortune (calculated in 1919 at the time of his death) until 21 years after the death of his last then-living  grandchild.  Since then there have been a number of stories about this colorful character and his estate.  The Today show featured it in a short piece that aired at the end of last week ("After 92 Years, Millionaire Miser's Heirs Finally Split $100M") and the Saginaw News has a number of stories that provide even more detail into both the man ("92 Years After His Death, Saginaw Lumber Baron's Vindictive Testament Nears Endgame"), and the tortured history of his estate ("Great-great-great Granddaughter Calls Saginaw Lumber Legacy A 'Curse" On Family") and its administration ("Saginaw Judge Carries Out Century-Old Wishes Of Unusual Lumber Tycoon").