''Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune'' is a non-fiction book by the American authors

Bill Dedman Bill Dedman is an American investigative reporter and author. He is best known for ''The Color of Money'', his 1988 investigation of redlining of middle-income black neighborhoods by banks and other mortgage lenders. Dedman received the 1989 Pu ...

and Paul Clark Newell, Jr., about the heiress

Huguette Clark Huguette Marcelle Clark (June 9, 1906 – May 24, 2011) was an American painter, heiress, and philanthropist, who became well known again late in life as a recluse, living in hospitals for more than 20 years while her various mansions remained ...

(1906–2011), daughter of the

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

baron and

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

William A. Clark William Andrews Clark Sr. (January 8, 1839March 2, 1925) was an American entrepreneur, involved with mining, banking, and railroads, as well as a politician. Biography Clark was born in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. He moved with his family to ...

(1839–1925), one of the wealthiest men in the world at the time. The book chronicles the Clark family's involvement across much of

American history The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of Peopling of the Americas, the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization of the Americas, European colonization beg ...

, from a

log cabin A log cabin is a small log house, especially a minimally finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first-generation home building by settl ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

to mining camps during the

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

. ''Empty Mansions'' debuted at number one on ''The New York Times'' bestseller list for

e-books An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. A ...

and number four for

hardcover A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as casebound (At p. 247.)) book is one bookbinding, bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other clo ...

books for the week ending September 14, 2013. It was on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list for 13 weeks and the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' bestseller list for 37 weeks. ''Empty Mansions'' also appeared on bestseller lists from ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'',

IndieBound The American Booksellers Association (ABA) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1900 that promotes independent bookstores in the United States. ABA's core members are key participants in their communities' local economy and culture, and to ...

independent booksellers,

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

, ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'', ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' and ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...

'' magazine in Canada. The film rights to ''Empty Mansions'' were optioned by

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

, which is developing a TV series with

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

, director

Joe Wright Joseph Wright (born 25 August 1972) is an English film director. His motion pictures include the period drama adaptations '' Pride & Prejudice'' (2005), ''Atonement'' (2007), '' Anna Karenina'' (2012), and '' Cyrano'' (2021), the action thrill ...

, and screenwriter Ido Fluk. The book was optioned earlier by film and television director Ryan Murphy.

Overview

''Empty Mansions'' chronicles the life of Huguette Clark, the daughter of the wealthy copper

industrialist A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

. Clark was a controversial senator, builder of

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

s, namesake of

Clark County, Nevada Clark County is the most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Nevada with 2,265,461 residents as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The county is the location of the state's three largest cities, Las Vegas (t ...

, and the founder of

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. Huguette grew up in the William A. Clark House at 962

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan in New York City. The avenue runs south from 143rd Street (Manhattan), West 143rd Street in Harlem to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. The se ...

, the largest house in New York City. She owned paintings by

Edgar Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints, and drawings. Degas is e ...

and

Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; ; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that ...

, a

Stradivarius A Stradivarius is one of the string instruments, such as violins, violas, cellos, and guitars, crafted by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), in Cremona, Italy, during the late 17th ...

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

, and a vast collection of antique dolls. During her life, she used her wealth to buy gifts for friends and strangers alike while quietly pursuing her own calling as an artist and guarding the privacy she valued above all else. The book weaves together Huguette's seemingly charmed life through her personal history including possession of a first-class ticket and stateroom on the second voyage of the ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

'' to the anxiety nine decades later of the terror attacks on

9/11 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. During the last 20 years of her life, Huguette lived in hospitals in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

despite owning multiple homes and having a fortune worth more than $300 million. Huguette's intimate circle of family members, including her infamous father and publicity-shy mother; acquaintances like her nurse who received more than $30 million in gifts; and the relatives fighting to inherit Huguette's fortune. The book contains more than seventy photographs, many never before seen outside of the family. ''Empty Mansions'' tells the story of a woman who has been described as the "last jewel of the Gilded Age".

Research

In 2009,

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

–winning journalist Bill Dedman was looking at real estate in

New Canaan, Connecticut New Canaan () is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,622 according to the 2020 census. The town is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region. About an hour from New York City by train, the town ...

, and came across a listing for an expensive home that had been unoccupied but maintained for nearly sixty years. From there he began research that led him to Huguette Clark and into American history that was still being lived out. After publishing his initial story on

NBC.com The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

, Dedman was led to Paul Clark Newell, Jr., Huguette Clark's cousin and one of the few relatives who had any contact with her. Together, Dedman and Newell (1936–2016) collaborated, combining Dedman's findings with years of family research by Newell, telling the tale of a bright, talented woman born into a family of wealth and privilege who voluntarily removes herself from the outside world to live a life of relative seclusion.

Reviews

*"One of those incredible stories that you didn't even know existed. It filled a void." —

Jon Stewart Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz, November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, political commentator, actor, and television host. The long-running host of ''The Daily Show'' on Comedy Central from 1999 to 20 ...

, ''The Daily Show'' *"An amazing story of profligate wealth . . . an outsized tale of rags-to-riches prosperity." — ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' *"A fascinating investigation into the haunting true-life tale of reclusive heiress Huguette Clark." — ''

People Magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''Peopl ...

'' *"An exhaustively researched, well-written account . . . a blood-boiling expose

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

will make you angry and will make you sad." — ''

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...

'' *"An evocative and rollicking read, part social history, part hothouse mystery, part grand guignol." —

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...

*"A childlike, self-exiled eccentric, uguette Clarkis the sort of subject susceptible to a biography of broad strokes, which makes ''Empty Mansions'', the first full-length account of her life, impressive for its delicacy and depth." — ''

Town & Country Magazine ''Town & Country'', formerly the ''Home Journal'' and ''The National Press'', is a monthly American lifestyle magazine. It is the oldest continually published general interest magazine in the United States. History Early history The magazine ...

'' *"A compelling account of what happened to the Clark family and its fortune . . . a tremendous feat." — ''

St. Louis Post-Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the '' Belleville News-Democra ...

'' *"Brilliantly researched, tough-minded, and fair . . . a fascinating read." — ''

Santa Barbara Independent The ''Santa Barbara Independent'' is a news, arts, and alternative newspaper published every Thursday in Santa Barbara, California, United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a ...

'' *"Riveting . . . deliciously scandalous . . . a thrilling study of the responsibilities and privileges that come with great wealth." — ''

'' *"''Empty Mansions'' is a dazzlement and a wonder. Bill Dedman and Paul Newell unravel a great character, Huguette Clark, a shy soul akin to Boo Radley in ''To Kill a Mockingbird''—if Boo's father had been as rich as Rockefeller. This is an enchanting journey into the mysteries of the mind, a true-to-life exploration of strangeness and delight." —

Pat Conroy Donald Patrick Conroy (October 26, 1945 – March 4, 2016) was an American author who wrote several acclaimed novels and memoirs; his books ''The Water Is Wide (book), The Water is Wide'', ''The Lords of Discipline'', ''The Prince of Tides (no ...

, author of ''The Death of Santini: The Story of a Father and His Son'' *"''Empty Mansions'' is at once an engrossing portrait of a forgotten American heiress and a fascinating meditation on the crosswinds of extreme wealth. Hugely entertaining and well researched, ''Empty Mansions'' is a fabulous read." — Amanda Foreman, author of ''A World on Fire'' *"In ''Empty Mansions'', a unique American character emerges from the shadows. Through deep research and evocative writing, Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr., have expertly captured the arc of history covered by the remarkable Clark family, while solving a deeply personal mystery of wealth and eccentricity." —

Jon Meacham Jon Ellis Meacham (; born May 20, 1969) is an American writer, reviewer, historian and presidential biographer who is serving as the Canon Historian of the Washington National Cathedral since November 7, 2021. A former executive editor and execut ...

, author of ''Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power'' *"Who knew? Though virtually unknown today, W. A. Clark was one of the fifty richest Americans ever—copper baron, railroad builder, art collector, U.S. senator, and world-class scoundrel. Yet his daughter and heiress Huguette became a bizarre recluse. ''Empty Mansions'' reveals this mysterious family in sumptuous detail." —

John Berendt John Berendt (born December 5, 1939) is an American author, known for writing the best-selling non-fiction book '' Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'', which was a finalist for the 1995 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction, and '' The Ci ...

, author of ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' *"''Empty Mansions'' is a mesmerizing tale that delivers all the ingredients of a top-notch mystery novel. But there is nothing fictional about this true, fully researched story of a fascinating and reclusive woman from an era of fabulous American wealth. ''Empty Mansions'' is a delicious read—once you start it, you will find it hard to put down." — Kate Alcott, bestselling author of ''The Dressmaker'' *"More than a biography, more than a mystery, ''Empty Mansions'' is a real-life American Bleak House, an arresting tale about misplaced souls sketched on a canvas that stretches from coast to coast, from riotous mining camps to the gilded dwellings of the very, very rich." — John A. Farrell, author of ''Clarence Darrow: Attorney for the Damned''

Translations

Originally published in the United States and Canada, ''Empty Mansions'' has been translated and published in China, Brazil, and Italy, and also published in English in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries.

References

External links

''Empty Mansions''
- Official Website
''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'' video of interview with Dedman on ''Empty Mansions'', September 10, 2013

''The Today Show'' video of interviews with Newell and Dedman on ''Empty Mansions'', September 10, 2013

C-SPAN video of a panel with Dedman and Newell at the Tucson Festival of Books, March 15, 2014

C-SPAN video of a talk by Dedman at the May 2014 Gaithersburg, Maryland, Book Festival

''Authorlink'' interview with Dedman on ''Empty Mansions'', December 31, 2013

''Reuters'' interview with Dedman on ''Empty Mansions'', September 12, 2013

''TV Santa Barbara'' video of interviews with Dedman and Newell on ''Empty Mansions'', January 4, 2014
{{DEFAULTSORT:Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune 2013 non-fiction books Culture of New York City Family of William A. Clark Ballantine Books books Collaborative non-fiction books