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Gallery 14

Given away

Pride and guilt. The law it tested: charitable trusts and family foundations.

120 storiesPride and guiltCharitable trusts and family foundations
Captain Thomas Coram (1668–1751) title QS:P1476,en:"Captain Thomas Coram (1668–1751) "label QS:Len,"Captain Thomas Coram, painting by William Hogarth
Captain Thomas Coram (1668–1751) title QS:P1476,en:"Captain Thomas Coram (1668–1751) "label QS:Len,"Captain Thomas Coram. William Hogarth, 1740date QS:P571,+1740-00-00T0. Public domain, Wikimedia Commons.

What did these cases decide about charitable trusts and family foundations?

A will that pours everything into a private trust keeps the shares out of the public file, but the executors' fees and payments still need court approval and any beneficiary can object to them. A collector who directs the sale of her possessions to a foundation turns objects into a gift that no heir can contest. Papers given away in life belong to the person who received them, and an estate that sues to get them back has to prove the gift never happened.

Stories
120
Years
632 to 2026
Main subjects
Foundations, Literature and art, Music and sport
Main regions
Europe, North America, Middle East
Updated
30 October 2026

Every case in this gallery, best-known first

Best-known first: cases from 1900 on, then the United States, then Europe, and the people most read about on English Wikipedia each month. Fiction, scripture and legend come last.

J. C. Jacobsen: JC Jacobsen 1886 by August Jerndorff1887 · RomeCarlsberg's founder gave his brewery to a foundation after a feud with his son, who built a rival brewery beside itJ.C. Jacobsen founded the Carlsberg brewery at Valby outside Copenhagen in 1847 and named it after his son Carl. In 1875 he founded the Carlsberg Laboratory.Journal article (DOI) and 3 moreMichael Jackson: Michael Jackson 1983 (3x4 cropped) (contrast)2009 · Los Angeles, California, USAMichael Jackson's estate put its value at $5.1 million, the Tax Court set $111.5 million, and a judge later ordered $625,000 in bonuses returnedMichael Jackson died on 25 June 2009, aged 50, of acute propofol intoxication; the Los Angeles County coroner ruled it a homicide.abcnews.com and 8 moreElizabeth Taylor: Taylor, Elizabeth posed2011 · Los Angeles, CaliforniaElizabeth Taylor's jewelry sold for $137,235,575 at Christie's in December 2011, the most ever paid for a jewelry collection, with the proceeds going to her foundationElizabeth Taylor died on 23 March 2011. Christie's sold her jewelry in New York on 13 and 14 December 2011. The evening sale on 13 December brought $115.9 million.guinnessworldrecords.com and 2 moreHarry Belafonte: Harry Belafonte at the Vanity Fair party celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Tribeca Film Festival.2023 · New York, New YorkHarry Belafonte tried to sell Martin Luther King Jr.'s papers, King's children said they were wrongfully taken, and Belafonte sued them and kept the papersHarry Belafonte was a close supporter of Martin Luther King Jr. and joined his strategy meetings in the 1960s.upr.org and 3 moreGene Hackman: Gene Hackman in the White House, 19872025 · Santa Fe, New Mexico, USAGene Hackman and his wife were found dead a week apart, and his children are fighting wills that leave them nothingGene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their Santa Fe home in February 2025. Investigators reported that Arakawa died of hantavirus about a week before Hackman, who had advanced Alzheimer's disease.Rolling Stone and 3 moreAndy Warhol: Andy Warhol by Bernard Gotfryd 19801987 · New YorkAndy Warhol's foundation valued his art at $95 million; a court said $390.9 million, and his estate lawyer was paid on the differenceWarhol died after gallbladder surgery and left most of his estate to create a foundation. His longtime manager Fred Hughes was executor. The estate's lawyer, Edward Hayes, was to be paid in line with the estate's value.The Art Newspaper and 3 moreKirk Douglas: Studio publicity Kirk Douglas2020 · Beverly Hills, CaliforniaKirk Douglas left most of a $61 million estate to charity and nothing to his son MichaelKirk Douglas died at 103.Internet Archive and 3 moreElon Musk: Elon Musk - 54820081119 (3x4 cropped, Rule of thirds)2024 · Austin, TexasElon Musk gave his foundation $7.9 billion in Tesla stock in two years, and its filings show it paid out less than requiredElon and Kimbal Musk set up the Musk Foundation in 2001 with about $2.1 million in eBay shares. Its board is Elon Musk and two employees of his family office, Jared Birchall and Matilda Simon, and it has no staff.Cornell Law School, LII and 2 moreRay Charles: Ray Charles classic piano pose2004 · Beverly Hills, CaliforniaRay Charles gave each of his 12 children $500,000 and left the rest to a foundation; seven of them moved to take back his songsRay Charles had 12 children by several women. Before he died, he gave each child $500,000 in trust.leagle.com and 3 moreJohnny Carson: Johnny Carson Tonight Show 19652005 · Los Angeles, CaliforniaJohnny Carson's trust gave his foundation $156 million after his death, and no public accounting of his estate has appearedJohnny Carson died of emphysema in January 2005 at 79. He kept his giving private. His charity, the John W. Carson Foundation, had received about $1 million to $2 million a year from the John W. Carson Trust.thesmokinggun.com and 3 moreJoan Crawford: JCrawford391977 · New York City, New YorkJoan Crawford's will left out Christina and Christopher "for reasons which are well known to them"Joan Crawford signed a new will in New York on October 28, 1976. She died in her Manhattan apartment on May 10, 1977, leaving about $2 million.Internet Archive and 6 morePaul Allen: Paul G. Allen (cropped)2018 · Seattle, Washington, USAPaul Allen's will ordered his teams sold, and his sister sold the Trail Blazers for about $4 billionPaul Allen co-founded Microsoft and owned the Seattle Seahawks and the Portland Trail Blazers. He never married and had no children. His will required that his teams eventually be sold and the proceeds go to philanthropy.Internet Archive and 3 moreAudrey Hepburn: AudreyKHepburn1993 · Tolochenaz, SwitzerlandAudrey Hepburn's two sons ended up on opposite sides of a lawsuit over who controls her imageAfter Audrey Hepburn died of abdominal cancer in January 1993, aged 63, her sons Sean Hepburn Ferrer and Luca Dotti and her partner Robert Wolders created a charity, Hollywood for Children, later called the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund.nbclosangeles.com and 1 moreBill Gates: Bill Gates at the European Commission - P067383-987995 (cropped) 52025 · Seattle, WashingtonBill Gates said in May 2025 the Gates Foundation will spend its endowment and close on 31 December 2045Bill and Melinda Gates built the largest US private foundation, holding its assets in the Gates Foundation Trust.The New York Times and 3 moreJimmy Savile: Jimmy Savile 20062011 · Leeds, EnglandJimmy Savile left £4.3 million to friends and his charity; abuse claims froze the estate and the courts approved paying it to his victimsJimmy Savile presented Top of the Pops and Jim'll Fix It and raised money for hospitals. He died in October 2011 and left £4.3 million.BBC and 4 moreJackson Pollock: Jackson Pollock by Hans Namuth (cropped)1956 · East Hampton (Springs), New YorkJackson Pollock's mistress Ruth Kligman claimed he painted Red, Black & Silver for her weeks before his 1956 crash, and his widow Lee Krasner and the Pollock-Krasner board rejected itOn 11 August 1956 Pollock, aged 44, drove his Oldsmobile with two passengers, Edith Metzger and his mistress, the artist Ruth Kligman, less than a mile from his home. The car crashed. Pollock and Metzger died. Kligman survived.The Art Newspaper and 3 moreWarren Buffett: Warren Buffett at the 2015 SelectUSA Investment Summit (cropped)2024 · Omaha, Nebraska, USAWarren Buffett's will once named the Gates Foundation; he removed it in 2024 and stopped his lifetime gifts to it in 2026Warren Buffett began giving away his Berkshire Hathaway shares under a 2006 pledge. The Gates Foundation was his largest recipient and was once named in his will.wowt.com and 4 morePaul Newman: Paul Newman - 19582008 · Westport, ConnecticutPaul Newman left his food company to a foundation run by his adviser, his daughter said the family was pushed out, and Congress changed the law for itIn 1982 Paul Newman and A.E. Hotchner started Newman's Own with $20,000 each, and all its after-tax profits went to charity.Cornell Law School, LII and 2 moreNorman Rockwell: Rockwell-Norman-LOC1978 · Stockbridge, Massachusetts, USANorman Rockwell's sons sued to stop the Berkshire Museum selling paintings he gave it, and Shuffleton's Barbershop went to George Lucas's museumWhile living in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Norman Rockwell gave 2 of his paintings to the Berkshire Museum in nearby Pittsfield: Shaftsbury Blacksmith Shop (1940), also called Blacksmith's Boy, Heel and Toe, and Shuffleton's Barbershop (1950).berkshiremuseum.org and 10 moreFrida Kahlo: Frida Kahlo (gelatin silver print, 15.2 by 10.8 cm)2022 · Miami, Florida, USA; Mexico City, MexicoA Miami businessman burned a drawing he said was Frida Kahlo's to sell 10,000 NFTs, and Mexico investigated because her work is a national monumentMartín Mobarak, a Mexican businessman living in Miami, said he owned Fantasmones Siniestros, a 9-by-6-inch ink and watercolour drawing Frida Kahlo is said to have made in her diary in 1944. He valued it at $10 million.Smithsonian Magazine and 2 moreZaha Hadid: Zaha Hadid in Heydar Aliyev Cultural center in Baku nov 20132016 · Miami, FloridaZaha Hadid's business partner sued her three co-executors in London over a roughly £70 million estate and lost a key ruling in November 2020Zaha Hadid died in Miami on 31 March 2016. Her will named four executors: Patrik Schumacher, her partner at Zaha Hadid Architects, Rana Hadid, developer Peter Palumbo and artist Brian Clarke.The National Archives, Find Case Law and 3 moreAI illustration: A photographer's loft on Bond Street, New York, with prints and a camera on a long table, 19891989 · BostonRobert Mapplethorpe inherited three quarters of Sam Wagstaff's $7 million estate over the sister's challenge, left his own parents nothing, and was tried posthumously in CincinnatiCurator Sam Wagstaff died on 14 January 1987. His estate was worth upward of $7 million. Mapplethorpe received three quarters and Wagstaff's partner Jim Nelson the rest.mentalfloss.com and 4 moreMark Rothko: Consuelo Kanaga (American, 1894-1978). Mark Rothko, Yorktown Heights, ca. 1949. Gelatin silver photograph, 10 x 8in. (25.4 x 20.3cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Wallace 1970 · New York CityMark Rothko's executors sold 798 of his paintings to a gallery one of them worked for, and his 19-year-old daughter suedMark Rothko killed himself in his New York studio. His will left nearly everything to the Mark Rothko Foundation. His three executors were Bernard Reis, the painter Theodoros Stamos and Morton Levine.rothko.nga.gov and 3 moreDoris Duke: Doris Duke 1951 (cropped)1993 · Falcon Lair, Beverly HillsDoris Duke left $1.2 billion with her butler as executor, and a court-appointed lawyer said her doctor hastened her deathDoris Duke was the heiress to a tobacco and power fortune. On 7 October 1966, at her Newport estate, Rough Point, she was driving the car that killed her friend Eduardo Tirella at the gate.Cornell Law School, LII and 3 moreJames Baldwin: James Baldwin 37 Allan Warren (cropped)1987 · Saint-Paul-de-Vence, FranceJames Baldwin's estate sold his papers to the Schomburg Center in 2017, with part of his correspondence reported sealed for 20 yearsJames Baldwin died in 1987 at his house in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. For about 30 years his papers stayed with his estate, which one report said almost never let biographers quote his correspondence.infodocket.com and 3 moreAngela Merkel: Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, chairperson of the CDU1956 · Seebüll, GermanyAngela Merkel returned two Emil Nolde paintings to the Berlin museum foundation in April 2019, as a Nationalgalerie show detailed his Nazi loyaltyEmil Nolde was a Nazi Party member and, per his letters, stayed loyal to the regime until the end of the war.smb.museum and 3 moreNina Simone: Portrait of the American singer Nina Simone, 1965.2003 · Carry-le-Rouet, FranceNina Simone left most of her estate to a trust for African children; the California Attorney General said her daughter diverted it, and the daughter resigned and gave up the rightsNina Simone died at her home in the south of France at 70. Her will left her only child, Lisa Simone Kelly, a Los Angeles condominium.oag.ca.gov and 5 moreNorman Jewison: A portrait of Norman Jewison taken by Gail Harvey. (48198901241) (cropped)2024 · Los Angeles, CaliforniaNorman Jewison's three children sued after he changed his will two months before his death in 2024; the claims were settled by mediation and never tested in courtNorman Jewison died aged 97. CBC News reported in 2025, from lawsuits it obtained, that his estate was estimated at $30 million. The suits allege that his second wife, Lynne St.cbc.ca and 3 moreAI illustration: A white clapboard farmhouse among trees in Ridgefield, Connecticut, 20122012 · Danbury, ConnecticutMaurice Sendak's foundation and the Rosenbach Museum fought for two years in a Connecticut probate court over his rare-book collectionMaurice Sendak deposited thousands of books and drawings at the Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia from the 1960s, was a board member from 1973 and honorary president from 2003, but never gave them formally.Smithsonian Magazine and 3 moreConrad Hilton: Conrad Hilton (croped)1979 · Santa Monica, CaliforniaConrad Hilton left his hotel shares to his foundation, and his son Barron spent 10 years in court winning them backConrad Hilton founded the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation in 1944 and made it the principal beneficiary of his estate. His will also gave his son Barron, chairman of Hilton Hotels, an option to buy the hotel stock.Los Angeles Times and 3 moreJames A. Michener: James Albert Michener · DN-SC-92-053681997 · Austin, TexasJames Michener gave away about $117 million and left the bulk of his estate to Swarthmore CollegeMichener and his wife Mari gave an estimated $117 million to universities, libraries and museums during their lives, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy in 1997. Of that, $7.2 million went to Swarthmore College.Internet Archive and 3 moreGeorge Bernard Shaw: George Bernard Shaw1950 · Ayot St Lawrence, EnglandGeorge Bernard Shaw's will ordered a new 40-letter alphabet; the High Court found the trust not charitable in 1957, and the National Gallery of Ireland received a third of his royalties until 2020Shaw's will, dated June 1950, left the residue of an estate reported at about 300,000 pounds first to a trust run by the Public Trustee.oxbridgenotes.co.uk and 3 moreMartha Graham: Martha Graham 19481991 · New York CityMartha Graham left her dances to Ron Protas in 1991, and federal courts ruled from 2002 to 2006 that her own center owned themMartha Graham died in 1991 aged 96. Her sole heir was Ronald Protas, her close friend, who had become artistic director of her Center.FindLaw Caselaw and 3 moreRobert Rauschenberg: Robert Rauschenberg 19992008 · Captiva Island, Florida, USARobert Rauschenberg's art trust grew from $605.6 million to $2.2 billion, and a Florida judge gave his three trustees $24.6 million in feesRobert Rauschenberg died at his home on Captiva Island, Florida, on 12 May 2008, aged 82. His will left the residue of his estate to his revocable trust, whose sole remainder beneficiary was the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.flprobatelitigation.com and 6 moreAristotle Onassis: Aristotle Onassis 1967cr1988 · Athens and Skorpios, Greece, and SwitzerlandAristotle Onassis's only granddaughter inherited half his fortune at 18, after her father and the trustees fought for yearsAristotle Onassis's son Alexander was killed in a plane crash in 1973. Onassis died two years later. His will named four trustees as executors. The Alexander S.UPI and 2 moreRudolf Nureyev: Nureyev 9 Allan Warren1993 · Levallois-Perret, FranceRudolf Nureyev left most of his estate to two foundations; a sister and niece contested the will, and a federal judge ruled for the foundation in 1998Rudolf Nureyev died of AIDS-related illness at 54. He founded the Ballet Promotion Foundation in 1975 and left most of his estate to foundations.Deseret News and 3 moreBrooke Astor: Brooke Astor (1980)2007 · Holly Hill, Briarcliff Manor, New YorkBrooke Astor's son was convicted of looting her estate while she had Alzheimer'sBrooke Astor was the widow of Vincent Astor and a leading New York philanthropist. She had Alzheimer's disease in her last years. Her 2002 will left most of her estate to charity.NBC News and 2 moreFelipe VI: Daiga Mieriņa tiekas ar Spānijas karali - 53814974005 (cropped)-22014 · Madrid, Spain; Abu Dhabi, UAESpain's King Felipe renounced his father's inheritance after a $100 million Saudi payment came to light, and Juan Carlos left for Abu DhabiJuan Carlos I restored democracy in Spain after Franco. In April 2012 he broke his hip on an elephant hunt in Botswana with Corinna Larsen, a businesswoman. He abdicated in 2014 in favour of his son Felipe.euronews.com and 2 moreMap of California, marked on the globe2023 · San Francisco, California, USAChuck Feeney secretly handed his Duty Free Shoppers stake to a foundation in 1984, gave away more than $8 billion, and kept about $2 millionCharles Feeney was born in 1931 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and went to Cornell on the GI Bill. In 1960 he and Robert Warren Miller founded Duty Free Shoppers, which made both men billionaires.atlanticphilanthropies.org and 2 moreP. T. Barnum: P. T. Barnum - 02176a (cropped)1891 · Bridgeport, ConnecticutP.T. Barnum's will paid a grandson to take the Barnum name; sources give the sum as $25,000 or a share of the estateP.T. Barnum died at home in Bridgeport on 7 April 1891, aged 80. His first wife Charity died in 1873 and he married Nancy Fish in 1874. He had no sons.collections.ctdigitalarchive.org and 4 morePeggy Guggenheim: Peggy Guggenheim, Lo Specchio (1958) (cropped)1979 · Camposampiero, near Padua, ItalyPeggy Guggenheim's grandsons sued the Guggenheim Foundation in Paris to undo her gift of the Venice collection and lostPeggy Guggenheim's father, Benjamin, died on the Titanic in 1912. In 1919, at 21, she inherited $2.5 million. From 1949 she showed her collection at the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni in Venice.hyperallergic.com and 6 moreAlexander McQueen: Alexander McQueen by FashionWirePress (cropped 2)2010 · Mayfair, London, UKAlexander McQueen died the day before his mother's funeral and left £50,000 to his dogs and most of £16 million to a charity for artistsLee Alexander McQueen's mother, Joyce, died about ten days before him. On Thursday 11 February 2010 his cleaner found him hanged in a wardrobe at his Mayfair home. He was 40. It was the day before his mother's funeral.thepinknews.com and 3 moreAI illustration: The gates of a Beverly Hills estate, 20152015 · Beverly Hills, California, USAKirk Kerkorian left $2 billion to charity, and his 57-day wife was paid to go awayKirk Kerkorian built Las Vegas hotels and owned MGM three times. He died at 98 with an estate of about $2 billion. Most of it went to charity, distributed by a three-person committee within three years.Los Angeles Times and 2 moreHenry Moore: Henry Moore in workshop Allan Warren (cropped)1986 · Perry Green, HertfordshireThieves stole Henry Moore's 2-ton Reclining Figure, valued at 3 million pounds, from his foundation in 2005 and police believe it was sold for scrap worth under 3,000 poundsHenry Moore's home at Perry Green is the base of the Henry Moore Foundation, which holds his sculpture. Reclining Figure 1969 to 70 is a bronze 3.6 metres long and 2.1 tons, one of six casts plus an artist's copy.tate.org.uk and 3 moreGiorgio Armani: Giorgio Armani 19972025 · Milan, ItalyGiorgio Armani's will orders his heirs to sell 15 percent of his company to a rival group within 18 monthsGiorgio Armani died on 4 September 2025, aged 91. He had no children. In 2016 he set up the Armani Foundation as the vehicle for his succession. He rewrote his two wills in spring 2025, partly by hand.ksl.com and 2 morePaul Klee: Paul Klee by Hugo Erfurth, 19221940 · Muralto, SwitzerlandPaul Klee's widow sold his estate for SFr120,000 two days before dying; his son sued the foundation that received it, and the case settled after four yearsPaul Klee died on 29 June 1940 before Bern completed his naturalisation. His widow, Lily, held his artistic estate. She fell seriously ill in September 1946.archive.zpk.org and 3 moreAI illustration: The New York State Supreme Court building on Centre Street, 20182018 · New York, New YorkNew York shut down the Donald J. Trump Foundation in 2018 and Trump paid $2 million to eight charitiesDonald Trump formed the foundation in 1988. During the 2016 campaign, Washington Post reporting raised questions about its spending.ag.ny.gov and 1 moreJean-Claude Duvalier: Photo re-centrée de Jean-Claude Duvalier à partir du fichier Baby Doc.jpg2014 · Port-au-Prince, Haiti; SwitzerlandSwitzerland's top court ruled that Baby Doc's family could have his frozen millions hours before the Haiti earthquake, and parliament passed a law to stop itJean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier inherited power from his father, François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, at 19 in 1971. A popular uprising ended their 28 years of rule in 1986, and he went into exile in France.swissinfo.ch and 3 moreHenry Ford and Charlie the Elephant at Universal City 1916 021947 · Dearborn, MichiganThe Fords put 90% of Ford Motor into a foundation and kept the votes, and Henry Ford II quit its board in 1976Edsel Ford and two executives chartered the Ford Foundation in Michigan on 15 January 1936. Henry Ford's will split his Ford Motor holdings into Class A nonvoting and Class B voting stock.Internet Archive and 3 moreAlbert Coombs Barnes: Albert Coombs Barnes (January 2, 1872 – July 24, 1951)1951 · near Phoenixville, PennsylvaniaA Pennsylvania judge let the Barnes Foundation move Albert Barnes's art to Philadelphia in 2004, against his indentureAlbert Barnes chartered the Barnes Foundation on 4 December 1922 as a school and opened its gallery in Merion on 19 March 1925.law.justia.com and 3 moreAI illustration: A Florida courthouse in the sun, 19841978 · FloridaJ. Roderick MacArthur sued his late father's $1.5 billion foundation in 1984 and asked a court to liquidate itJohn D. MacArthur owned Bankers Life and Casualty and land in Florida and New York. He died in 1978 worth more than $1 billion and left 92% of his estate to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.UPI and 2 moreHurricane West Virginia: Main Street in w:Hurricane, West Virginia.2020 · Hurricane, Putnam County, West Virginia, USA (where the tickJack Whittaker won a $314.9 million Powerball jackpot, and his granddaughter and daughter were found dead within seven yearsJack Whittaker owned a contracting business and was already worth about $17 million when he bought a Powerball ticket at C&L SuperServe in Hurricane, West Virginia.wvencyclopedia.org and 2 moreRobert Indiana2018 · Vinalhaven, MaineRobert Indiana was sued the day before he died alone on a Maine island, and his LOVE estate spent years in courtIndiana spent his last decades in a former Odd Fellows hall on Vinalhaven called Star of Hope. On 18 May 2018, the day before he died, the Morgan Art Foundation, which held rights to his images, sued in New York.maine.gov and 3 moreJack Kent Cooke: Jack Kent Cooke circa 1955 (cropped)1997 · Washington, D.C.Jack Kent Cooke's will ordered the Redskins sold to fund his foundation, and his son was outbid by Daniel SnyderJack Kent Cooke left 90 percent of the Washington Redskins to the charitable foundation named after him.philanthropy.com and 3 moreIngvar Kamprad: Ingvar Kamprad Haparanda June 20102018 · Småland, SwedenIngvar Kamprad put IKEA into a Dutch foundation in 1982 that The Economist called the world's richest charity and one of its least generousKamprad founded IKEA in 1943. In 1982, with lawyer Linnea Walsh, he set up the Stichting INGKA Foundation in the Netherlands, with the stated purpose of promoting innovation in architecture and interior design.The Economist and 3 moreAlberto Sordi: Alberto Sordi (1962)2003 · his villa at the Baths of Caracalla, Rome, ItalyAlberto Sordi's sister left his €50 million to a foundation, relatives accused nine people of exploiting her, and all nine were acquittedAlberto Sordi died in 2003 in the villa by the Baths of Caracalla where he had lived since 1954. His estate passed to his sister Aurelia, who had no direct heirs.Il Post and 2 moreAlban Berg: Alban Berg (1885–1935) ~1930 © Max Fenichel (1885–1942)1935 · ViennaAlban Berg's widow kept the third act of Lulu unfinished for 41 years, and a composer finished it in secret for the publisherAlban Berg died on 24 December 1935 with the opera Lulu orchestrated through two acts. Act 3 existed in short score. Universal Edition, his publisher, asked Schoenberg, Webern and Zemlinsky to finish it, and all declined.nybooks.com and 2 moreAI illustration: Shoppers outside a grocery shop on an Essen street, early 1970s2012 · Essen, GermanyAldi's Theo Albrecht was ransomed for 7 million marks, and his son's widow fought the family foundation for a decadeOn 29 November 1971 the lawyer Heinz-Joachim Ollenburg and the safe-cracker Paul Kron kidnapped Aldi Nord founder Theo Albrecht outside the company offices in Herten. He was held 17 days.iww.de and 7 moreAI illustration: Orange groves and bean fields on the Irvine Ranch, Orange County, 1940s1947 · CaliforniaJoan Irvine Smith fought the foundation that controlled her grandfather's Irvine Ranch for 33 years and left with $256 millionJames Irvine II owned the Irvine Company and about 110,000 acres in what became Orange County. His intended successor, his son James Jr., died in 1935.Los Angeles Times and 2 moreCalouste Gulbenkian: Calouste Gulbenkian photo1955 · Aviz Hotel, LisbonCalouste Gulbenkian left his oil fortune to a Lisbon foundation and his son Nubar about $2.5 millionCalouste Gulbenkian held shares in the Turkish Petroleum Company from 1912. The Red Line Agreement of 31 July 1928 confirmed his 5 percent of the company, renamed Iraq Petroleum in 1929. The stake made him "Mr Five Per Cent".Time and 6 moreRatan Tata: Shri Ratan Naval Tata2024 · Mumbai, IndiaRatan Tata's will gave a third of the residue to a little-known Jamshedpur businessmanRatan Tata led the Tata Group from 1991 to 2012. He never married and had no children.businesstoday.in and 3 moreCalumet farm 2012: View of stables at Calumet Farm, Lexington, KY1950 · Lexington, Kentucky, USACalumet Farm passed to a widow for life, then to a grandson-in-law who ran up $127 million in debt and went to prisonWarren Wright Sr. died in 1950.The Seattle Times and 3 moreMarie Robertson: Marie Robertson på filmpremiären av Jack Reacher i Filmstaden i Stockholm den 11 december 2012.1972 · New YorkMarie Robertson's heirs sued Princeton over her $35 million gift in 2002 and settled in 2008 with $40 million in legal fees repaidIn 1961 Charles and Marie Robertson gave $35 million to expand the graduate program of Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School. Marie was an heir to the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company fortune.princeton.edu and 1 morePearl S. Buck: Pearl S. Buck - 19601973 · Danby, VermontPearl S. Buck left three contradictory wills, a dance instructor and her seven adopted children fought for six years, and a Vermont court found undue influencePearl S. Buck met Theodore F. Harris, a 32-year-old dance instructor, in 1963, when she was 70. In 1964 she founded the Pearl S. Buck Foundation and named him chief executive.inquirer.com and 4 moreBarry Munitz1976 · Sutton Place, Surrey, EnglandGetty Trust chief Barry Munitz resigned in 2006 and paid back $250,000 after reports on his spendingJ. Paul Getty left most of his fortune to the museum trust that became the J. Paul Getty Trust. It became the world's richest art institution, with a $4.2 billion endowment in 2009.Los Angeles Times and 2 moreAI illustration: A small private bank building with an unmarked facade in Vaduz below Liechtenstein's castle2008 · Bochum, GermanyDeutsche Post's chief hid money in a Liechtenstein foundation, a bank clerk sold the data, and he was convicted in 2009Klaus Zumwinkel ran Deutsche Post from 1990 to 2008 and sat on the board of trustees of the Bertelsmann Stiftung from 2001 to 2004. On 14 February 2008 investigators raided his home on suspicion of evading about €1 million in tax.Der Spiegel and 2 moreAI illustration: The green hills of Marin County above San Francisco Bay, 1970s1975 · Marin County, CaliforniaBeryl Buck left oil stock for Marin County, Shell's purchase made it worth $253 million, and a court kept it in MarinLeonard Buck, a pathologist whose father Frank Buck co-founded Belridge Oil, died in 1953.sfgate.com and 1 moreAlfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach: Alfried Felix Alwyn Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach1967 · Essen, West GermanyAlfried Krupp was convicted at Nuremberg, got his property back in 1951, and left the firm to a foundation instead of his sonAlfried Krupp became sole owner of the Essen arms maker in 1943. On 1 January 1943 the firm employed about 25,000 prisoners of war, foreign civilians and forced labourers; historians put the wartime total at 100,000 or more.krupp-stiftung.de and 6 moreCash from LEWIS drop site-Hanssen case: Pieniądze zostawione przez agenta SVR dla R. Hanssena2023 · Vienna, Virginia, USA; ADX Florence, Colorado, USAFBI spy Robert Hanssen forfeited $1.4 million from Moscow and his pension, and his plea deal left his wife the house, three cars and a survivor annuityRobert Hanssen was an FBI counterintelligence agent. Around 1980 his wife, Bonnie, found that he was dealing with the Soviets. He told her he was feeding them false information. She made him confess to an Opus Dei priest, the Rev.justice.gov and 3 moreJane Birkin: 66ème Festival de Venise (Mostra) Jane Birkin2023 · Paris, FranceThe original Hermes bag made for Jane Birkin sold at Sotheby's Paris in July 2025 for 8.58 million euros, the highest price paid for a handbag at auctionThe first Birkin bag was made for Jane Birkin by Hermes. She died in Paris in July 2023. On 10 July 2025 Sotheby's Paris sold the original bag for 8.58 million euros, about $10 million, after a bidding war, according to Bloomberg.Bloomberg and 3 moreGeorge Michael: George Michael performing on The Summit stage in Houston (Texas, USA) during the Faith World Tour in 19882016 · Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, EnglandGeorge Michael left his £97 million estate to his sisters and nothing to his partner, who would not leave the Regent's Park houseGeorge Michael died at 53. In March 2017 the coroner ruled he died of natural causes. He was buried on 29 March 2017 at Highgate Cemetery in north London, three months after his death.smoothradio.com and 4 moreWolfgang Wagner: Conférence de Wolfgang Wagner dans la fosse du Festspielhaus lors du festival 20042010 · Bayreuth, GermanyWagner's grandson held a lifetime contract at Bayreuth, refused to leave when the board named his daughter's rival, and handed the festival to his daughters at 89Richard Wagner opened his festival theatre at Bayreuth in 1876.historynewsnetwork.org and 5 moreMap of California, marked on the globe2008 · California, USAA son used his dying mother's power of attorney to move $10 million into a partnership and a charity trust a week before she died, and the Tax Court undid itNancy Powell was terminally ill and incapacitated in August 2008. Her son Jeffrey held her power of attorney, which allowed gifts only up to the federal annual exclusion.currentfederaltaxdevelopments.com and 2 moreAI illustration: The Moody Mansion and the Strand in Galveston, Texas1996 · Galveston, TexasShearn Moody Jr. was accused of making Moody Foundation grants to himself, and the IRS sought $14 millionW.L. Moody Jr. and his wife Libbie chartered the Moody Foundation in 1942; Fortune put the initial endowment at $400 million.Internet Archive and 2 moreMariano Marcos: Mariano Marcos21989 · Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; Manila, PhilippinesMarcos drew a salary of 100,000 pesos a year, and the Philippine Supreme Court took $658 million of his Swiss depositsFerdinand Marcos was president of the Philippines from 1966 to 1986. The official salary record puts his pay at 60,000 pesos a year to 1976 and 100,000 pesos a year from 1977 to 1985.Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School and 5 moreRainer Werner Fassbinder: PER51895 0611982 · Munich, West GermanyFassbinder's first wife said the head of his foundation invented a marriage to him to control his estate, and 25 colleagues demanded she resignRainer Werner Fassbinder died in Munich on 10 June 1982, aged 37, leaving about 40 films and many plays. His copyrights passed to his mother, Liselotte Eder, and his father, Helmuth Fassbinder.presseportal.de and 3 moreRumtek Monastery 01: Plaque of Rumtek Monastery, Sikkim, India1981 · Zion, Illinois, USA; Rumtek Monastery, Sikkim, IndiaThe 16th Karmapa died in Illinois in 1981; two rival successors were enthroned, and the Black Crown he left at Rumtek has gone unused sinceThe 16th Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu school, left Tibet in 1959 with the Black Crown, the school's central relic, and placed it at his monastery at Rumtek in Sikkim.www2.kenyon.edu and 3 moreAlberto Giacometti: Title [Giacometti] PK-F-A.06801 Creator/other Andriesse, Emmy (1914-1953) Shelfmark PK-F-A.06801 Subject (topical) PortraitsMen (male humans)ArtistsSculptors Su1966 · Chur, SwitzerlandA forger sold about 1,300 fake Giacometti sculptures over ten years, German police seized more than 1,150 suspect works in 2009, and a Stuttgart court gave dealers two-year suspended sentencesAlberto Giacometti died in 1966 without children. His widow Annette set up the Giacometti Association in 1986 as a placeholder until the foundation named in his will could exist. She died in 1993.The Art Newspaper and 3 moreSarita Kenedy East: Sarita Kenedy East, rancher and philanthropist of South Texas1961 · Kenedy County, Texas, USA (died in New York City)Ranch heiress Sarita Kenedy East left her fortune to a foundation controlled by a Trappist monk, and more than 200 people claimed to be her heirsSarita Kenedy East, granddaughter of the rancher Mifflin Kenedy, was heir to part of the Kenedy Ranch and had no children.Internet Archive and 2 moreSuharto: President Suharto, 19932008 · JakartaIndonesia's Supreme Court ordered General Suharto's Supersemar foundation to pay about 4.4 trillion rupiahSuharto founded the Supersemar scholarship foundation on 16 May 1974. A 1976 government regulation directed half of 5 percent of state bank net profits to it. By 1998 it had received about $420 million and 185 billion rupiah.news.detik.com and 4 moreHenry Wellcome: Henry Wellcome 19301936 · LondonHenry Wellcome left his drug company to trustees in 1936, and in 1995 they sold it to its rival GlaxoWellcome, born in a log cabin in Wisconsin, founded Burroughs Wellcome & Company in London in 1880 with Silas Burroughs. Burroughs died in 1895 and Wellcome took sole control.Wikipedia (English) and 2 moreJohns Hopkins: Hopkinsp1873 · Baltimore, Maryland, USAJohns Hopkins left $7 million in railroad stock to found a hospital, the stock stopped paying, and records found in 2020 showed he had owned slavesJohns Hopkins died in 1873, aged 78. His will left about $7 million to found a university, a hospital and an orphanage for Black children, then the largest philanthropic bequest in US history.Smithsonian Magazine and 2 moreKevadon (thalidomide), 1960: In 1960, the FDA received a new drug application for a sedative, thalidomide, used for years in other countries to treat a variety of maladies, includi1970 · Stolberg and Aachen, GermanyGrünenthal paid 100 million marks into a foundation for thalidomide victims, and a 1971 law wiped out their claims against the companyThe Wirtz family founded Chemie Grünenthal in Stolberg in 1946. On 1 October 1957 it began selling the sedative Contergan, thalidomide, without prescription.servat.unibe.ch and 4 moreThe Hershey Company: Hershey Factory1945 · Hershey, PennsylvaniaThe Hershey school trust voted to sell Hershey Foods to Wrigley for $12.5 billion in 2002, and a Pennsylvania court stopped itIn 1909 Milton and Catherine Hershey deeded 486 acres for a school for orphan boys. In 1918 Milton put most of his fortune, including his company stock, into its trust, about $60 million then.Internet Archive and 3 moreAI illustration: Villa Hügel, the Krupp family house above the Ruhr at Essen, 19671967 · Essen, West GermanyArndt von Bohlen und Halbach gave up the Krupp inheritance for 2 million marks a year so a foundation could own the companyAlfried Krupp, convicted at Nuremberg as a war criminal, ran Fried. Krupp as a sole proprietorship. His only child, Arndt, born in 1938, was not accepted by the family, according to his biographer.Internet Archive and 3 moreHarpur-Crewe baronets: Calke Abbey house1981 · Calke Abbey, Ticknall, Derbyshire, EnglandCharles Harpur-Crewe died in 1981, an £8 million tax bill fell on Calke Abbey, and the house went to the nation with everything in itThe Harpur family held Calke in Derbyshire from the 17th century. Their baronetcy ended with Sir Vauncey Harpur Crewe in 1924. The last generations were reclusive and kept nearly everything they bought.UK Parliament, Hansard and 5 moreAdam Karol Czartoryski: Adam karol czartoryski2016 · Kraków, PolandPrince Adam Karol Czartoryski sold his family's collection to Poland for €100 million, the money went to Liechtenstein, and he sued his daughterThe Czartoryski collection began with Princess Izabela Czartoryska's museum at Puławy, housed in the Temple of Memory, built from 1798 to 1801.nik.gov.pl and 4 moreValentino: Valentino Garavani at the Cannes Film Festival.2026 · Rome, ItalyValentino left his estate to a foundation in Liechtenstein that the public had never heard ofValentino Garavani was born in Voghera in 1932 and founded his house on Rome's Via Condotti in 1959. Giancarlo Giammetti ran the business side. In 1998 the two men sold the house for about $300 million. Valentino retired in 2008.milanofinanza.it and 2 moreDuchy of Lancaster offices 2020: The Duchy of Lancaster offices, at 1 Lancaster Place, Strand, London WC2, viewed from the Victoria Embankment. It flies the Duchy flag. The taller 2023 · County Palatine of Lancaster, EnglandPeople in the old county of Lancashire who die with no will and no kin leave their estates to the King, and the Guardian found the money refurbishing his rental propertyIn England and Wales the estate of someone who dies with no valid will and no heir under the intestacy rules goes to the Crown, usually through the Treasury Solicitor.theconversation.com and 2 moreThe Flag of Malta and the Flag of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta - Fort St. Angelo: The flag on the left is the Maltese National Flag, the flag on the right is the Flag of t2021 · Rome, Italy; Geneva, SwitzerlandThe Order of Malta's Grand Master fired his chancellor in 2016, the Pope forced the Grand Master out, and a 30-million-franc gift from a Geneva trust sat behind the fightIn December 2016 Grand Master Fra' Matthew Festing dismissed the Order's Grand Chancellor, Albrecht von Boeselager, after reports that the Order's charity had distributed condoms in Myanmar.NBC News and 2 moreMap of United Kingdom, marked on the globe2014 · London, EnglandA Qatari collector died in 2014 owing auction houses millions; his heirs split over his blue diamond, and a cousin's company sued to buy itSheikh Saud bin Mohammed Ali Al-Thani was Qatar's culture minister from 1997 to 2005 and a major collector. In 2012 the auctioneers Baldwin's sued him in London over unpaid coins, and their barrister called him a serial defaulter.The National Archives, Find Case Law and 2 moreAI illustration: The palace of the Dukes of Medina Sidonia at Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain2008 · Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cádiz, SpainThe Red Duchess of Medina Sidonia married her secretary on the day she died, and her children sued over the palace foundationLuisa Isabel Álvarez de Toledo, 21st Duchess of Medina Sidonia, was jailed in Alcalá de Henares in the 1960s for anti-Franco activity. In 1990 she created the Fundación Casa Medina Sidonia and gave it most of her estate.Boletín Oficial del Estado and 5 moreYves Saint Laurent: Graphite and Egg Tempera on Canvas2008 · Paris, FranceYves Saint Laurent signed a civil union days before he died, and his collection sale included two bronze heads looted from Beijing in 1860Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé founded his couture house and were partners for 50 years. Days before Saint Laurent died in Paris on 1 June 2008, aged 71, the two men signed a PACS, a French civil partnership, at his home.lalibre.be and 7 moreSt Nicholas' church, Great Munden - geograph.org.uk - 3771574: St Nicholas' church, Great Munden2004 · Great Munden, Hertfordshire, England, UK (the daughter'Melita Jackson left £486,000 to animal charities and nothing to the daughter who left home at 17, and the courts argued over the daughter's share for ten yearsIn 1978, aged 17, Heather Jackson left home without her mother's knowledge to live with her boyfriend, Nicholas Ilott, whom she later married.supremecourt.uk and 3 moreAI illustration: Forchtenstein Castle on its rock in Burgenland, Austria1989 · Zurich, SwitzerlandPrince Paul Esterházy made his widow sole heir, and the Esterházy family lost Burgenland's largest estate to her foundationsIn 1946 Paul V Esterházy, one of central Europe's richest men, married Melinda Ottrubay, prima ballerina of the Budapest Opera.kurier.at and 5 moreAI illustration: Whaling factory ships moored at Sandefjord, Norway, 1950s1982 · Sandefjord, NorwayWhaling magnate Anders Jahre denied owning a fortune abroad, and Norway spent 30 years after his death recovering about 1 billion kronerAnders Jahre founded his shipping company in 1922 and the Kosmos whaling companies from 1928. He funded about half of Sandefjord's city hall and two foundations at the University of Oslo.snl.no and 4 moreStephen Girard: Stephen Girard by JR Lambdin1831 · PhiladelphiaStephen Girard left $7.5 million for "poor white male orphans", and courts fought over the word "white" until 1968Stephen Girard, a French-born merchant, opened Girard's Bank in 1812 and underwrote up to 95 percent of a federal war loan. He died in 1831 with an estate of about $7.5 million.Cornell Law School, LII and 3 moreErnst Abbe: Ernst Abbe (HeidICON 29803) (cropped)1905 · Jena, GermanyErnst Abbe gave the Zeiss works to a foundation, and after 1945 a western and an eastern Zeiss sued each other over the name for 17 yearsCarl Zeiss founded an optical workshop in Jena in 1846. Physicist Ernst Abbe became his partner in 1875. Zeiss died on 3 December 1888. On 19 May 1889 Abbe founded the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung and named it after him.carl-zeiss-stiftung.de and 2 moreAntónio de Oliveira Salazar: António de Oliveira Salazar portrait (by Manuel Alves San Payo) – Lisboa1932 · Fulwell Park, Twickenham, EnglandPortugal's last king left his collections to the nation, and Salazar's government put the whole Bragança estate into a state foundation over the claimant's protestManuel II became King of Portugal at 18, after his father and elder brother were shot in Lisbon on 1 February 1908. The republic deposed him in 1910, and he lived in exile at Fulwell Park in Twickenham.files.diariodarepublica.pt and 4 moreAuffahrt, Flug u. Ende des Zeppelin'schen Luftschiffes Modell 4: Wreckage of the Zeppelin LZ4 after the crash in Echterdingen1917 · Friedrichshafen, GermanyGermans gave Count Zeppelin 6 million marks after his airship burned, and his great-grandson has spent ten years trying to take the foundation back from a cityOn 5 August 1908 Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin's airship LZ 4 burned at Echterdingen near Stuttgart. Germans sent more than 6 million marks in small donations within weeks.aerointernational.de and 5 moreLeopold II of Belgium: Leopold II, King of the Belgians by Alexander Bassano (1889)1909 · Laeken, BelgiumLeopold II owned the Congo personally, married his 26-year-old mistress five days before he died, and his daughters sued for the moneyFrom 1885 to 1908 King Leopold II ruled the Congo Free State as his own property. Forced labour for rubber caused millions of deaths. Under international pressure Belgium annexed the territory in 1908.Wikipedia (English) and 2 moreRobert Hooke: Portrait of a Mathematician 1680c1703 · London, EnglandRobert Hooke said he would endow the Royal Society, died without a will, and cousins he barely knew took the moneyRobert Hooke was curator of experiments at the Royal Society and a professor at Gresham College. After the Great Fire of 1666 he became one of three official surveyors for rebuilding London, the best-paid work of his life.mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk and 2 moreAvicii: Avicii 2014 003cr2018 · Muscat, OmanAvicii died at 28 without a will; his parents inherited about $25 million and sold 75 percent of his catalogTim Bergling, who recorded as Avicii, died at 28. He was not married and had no children, and he left no will. Under Swedish law his estate passed to his parents, Klas Bergling and Anki Lidén.dancingastronaut.com and 2 moreRené Favaloro: Rene Favaloro2000 · Buenos Aires, ArgentinaRené Favaloro, who developed coronary bypass surgery, shot himself after his foundation went unpaid by Argentina's health insurersRené Favaloro graduated in medicine at La Plata in 1949 and settled as a country doctor in Jacinto Aráuz, La Pampa, in 1950. In 1962 he went to the Cleveland Clinic. There, about 1967, he developed coronary artery bypass grafting.Al Jazeera and 3 moreMap of Nebraska, marked on the globe1892 · Brownville, Nemaha County, Nebraska, USAA widow left her inherited fortune to a Lincoln charity home; her family said a planchette and her dead husband's spirit guided her, and Nebraska upheld the will in 1895Kind 1. Elizabeth C. Handley of Brownville inherited her husband's estate, valued at $36,000 to $37,000, when he died about ten years before her will.Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School and 2 moreJakob Fugger: Portrait of Jakob Fugger, (1459-1525)1525 · AugsburgJakob Fugger paid for Charles V's election, and his heirs lost much of the fortune when the Spanish crown stopped payingJakob Fugger of Augsburg built a fortune in mining, trade and lending. In 1519 Charles of Habsburg needed money to buy the votes of the prince-electors. About 850,000 guilders went to the electors.Encyclopaedia Britannica and 7 moreBirla Family Tree: a family tree of all the members of the Birla Family Other information This is similar to the tons of family tree images on google search, but entirely made on m2004 · Kolkata, West Bengal, IndiaPriyamvada Birla's will left a Rs 5,000 crore group to her accountant; the Birla family has fought it in court since 2004Madhav Prasad Birla died in 1990, and his widow Priyamvada became chair of the M.P. Birla Group. She died on 3 July 2004.LiveLaw and 4 moreRahere's Tomb - Walks in London, Augustus Hare, 1878: Illustration from Walks in London, Augustus Hare, 1878.1143 · West Smithfield, London, England, UKRahere founded St Bartholomew's Hospital after a vow in Rome, Henry VIII seized its income in 1539, and the City of London saved it weeks before the king diedRahere was a courtier of Henry I. On a pilgrimage to Rome he fell ill, probably with malaria, and vowed that if he lived he would build a hospital for the poor.nationalarchives.gov.uk and 2 moreArthur Wellesley: The Duke of Wellington is standing at half-length, wearing Field Marshal’s uniform, with the Garter star and sash, the badge of the Golden Fleece, and a special b1852 · Walmer Castle, KentBelgium bought out the Duke of Wellington's "perpetual" Waterloo rent in 1988 and kept a right to take back the landWilliam I of the Netherlands made Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, Prince of Waterloo by royal decree of 8 July 1815.Boletín Oficial del Estado and 3 moreAntilia, Mumbai: Antilia as seen from Dr. Gopalrao Keshav Marg in Mumbai2002 · Altamount Road, Mumbai, IndiaAn orphanage trust sold its Mumbai plot for Antilia in 2002, the waqf board called the sale illegal, and the Bombay High Court dismissed the last challenge in 2025The Currimbhoy Ebrahim Khoja orphanage trust was set up in 1892 to maintain and educate orphaned and poor boys of the Khoja community. It held a plot of about 4,532 square metres on Altamount Road.LiveLaw and 3 moreAI illustration: 650 Fifth Avenue, the New York tower built by the Pahlavi Foundation1980 · Cairo, EgyptIran sued the exiled Shah in New York for billions, lost, and the tower his foundation built ended up paying terror victims $318 millionMohammad Reza Pahlavi left Iran on 16 January 1979 and died in Cairo in July 1980.jta.org and 2 moreSamuel de Champlain: Samchamprifle1635 · QuebecChamplain named the Virgin Mary as his heir in 1635; his cousin sued in Paris and the will was annulled in 1639Samuel de Champlain was paralysed when his will was drafted at Quebec on 17 November 1635 by the clerk De La Ville.Dictionary of Canadian Biography and 4 moreEdward Colston: Portrait of Edward Colston (1636-1721)label QS:Len,"Portrait of Edward Colston (1636-1721)"1721 · Mortlake, Surrey; Bristol, EnglandEdward Colston's charities carried his name for 300 years, until protesters threw his statue in Bristol harbourEdward Colston (1636-1721) was a Bristol merchant and Tory MP. He was a member of the Royal African Company from 1680 to 1692 and its deputy governor in 1689 and 1690.Courts and Tribunals Judiciary and 3 moreMehmed IV: Mahomet IV. sonst Achmet genannt Türckischer Kaÿser1481 · Istanbul, TurkeyA Turkish court ruled in 2020 that Mehmed II's endowment deed still bound Hagia Sophia as a mosque, while an Armenian foundation could not recover its confiscated Istanbul innHagia Sophia was built as a church in the sixth century. After the Ottoman conquest in 1453 it became a mosque. A few years later Sultan Mehmed II made it part of his waqf, a perpetual religious endowment.harvardlawreview.org and 2 moreThomas Sutton's Monument, The Charterhouse Chapel, Farringdon: Charterhouse, Farringdon1611 · Hackney and the Charterhouse, London, EnglandEngland's richest commoner left his fortune to a hospital, and his nephew and Francis Bacon tried to break the willThomas Sutton made his money in coal and moneylending. A 19th-century biography says he died with about £5,000 a year in land and over £60,000 in money.thecharterhouse.org and 3 moreRichard Whittington: RichardWhittington 19thCEngraving After ReginaldElstrack 15901423 · City of London, EnglandRichard Whittington left no children and his fortune to London; his executors rebuilt Newgate prison and founded almshouses that still operateRichard Whittington, born about 1356, became a London mercer and was Lord Mayor in 1397 to 1398, 1406 to 1407 and 1419 to 1420. He lent money to Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V nearly 60 times.the-orb.arlima.net and 2 moreHospital of St Cross, Winchester: Hospital of St Cross .mw-parser-output .messagebox{margin:4px 0;width:auto;border-collapse:collapse;border:2px solid var(--border-color-progressiv1136 · St Cross, Winchester, Hampshire, EnglandA bishop's son ran England's oldest almshouse for decades on an income Trollope turned into The WardenHenry de Blois, Bishop of Winchester, founded the Hospital of St Cross about 1136.british-history.ac.uk and 6 moreAI illustration: A walled garden on an estate in the Valais, Switzerland · SwitzerlandHermès heir Nicolas Puech planned to adopt his gardener, then said his $15 billion in shares was goneNicolas Puech is a fifth-generation descendant of Hermès founder Thierry Hermès. He left the supervisory board in 2014 and was believed to hold more than 5 percent of the company. Forbes ranked him with $15.6 billion in March 2024.The Guardian and 3 moreQalawun complex 02: Qalawun complex in Islamic Cairo, Egypt1290 · Cairo, Egypt, and Damascus, SyriaSultan Qalawun built Cairo's great hospital with forced labour after a vow in a Damascus hospital funded by a captured European king's ransomNur al-Din built a hospital in Damascus in 1154. The historian al-Maqrizi wrote that it was paid for with the ransom of a captured European king, who gave four forts and 500,000 dinars for his release.egymonuments.gov.eg and 3 moreMap of Saudi Arabia, marked on the globe632 · Fadak oasis and Medina, Saudi ArabiaFatima asked Abu Bakr for her inheritance from Muhammad; he refused, she did not speak to him again, and caliphs returned and seized the land of Fadak for 200 yearsFadak surrendered to Muhammad without a fight, so its income was his alone.Internet Archive and 2 more