Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr.

Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr. Ballantine Book, Penguin Random House, 2013. Nonfiction, Adult.


W.A. Clark helped establish Las Vegas. Clark County is named for him. He was, at best, a senator and copper magnate. At worst, he was controversial. Even Mark Twain railed against him! His first wife died. He married again and had two daughters in that marriage. When he died, the children from both marriages stood to inherit literally fortunes.


This book is really the story of his youngest child, Huguette. She lived to be 104. She had mansions in California, Connecticut, and New York City, but she seldom lived in any of them or went to visit. The last decades of her life were spent in a hospital room in New York City, but she was not really sick. She gave away millions. After her death, many people tried to prove that she was senile.  You will come to your own conclusion after reading this tale!


Well researched and with contributions by a family member who often talked by phone with Huguette, this tale will pique your curiosity, challenge how you think about the elderly, and make you think about the values of extreme wealth in new ways.