Wellington R. Burt was a lumber baron from Saginaw, Mich., whose wealth at the time of his death was estimated to be $100 million ($1.88 billion today). In his later years, he was known as “The Lone Pine of Michigan” because he was estranged from his family and social circles, living alone with servants in his mansion. He had prepared for his death by having a massive mahogany casket made, which was stored in his attic. He is famously known for a “spite clause” in his will, which delayed the distribution of his $100 million fortune until 21 years after the death of his last surviving grandchild. Burt died of natural causes in 1919 at the age of 87. His last surviving grandchild died in 1989, and in 2011 12 descendants split the fortune. That’s a lot of spite.
