Guide Note
Doris Duke was the heiress to the famous Duke family fortune. She is known for her vivacious and eccentric personality, her philanthropy, and her horticulture and art collecting skills. She started the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation as well as the Newport Restoration Foundation, which preserved many historic buildings in New England. Although Duke was one of the wealthiest women in the country, she did not enjoy fame, and often hid from the public eye.1
Fast Facts
- Born: November 22, 1912
- Birthplace: New York City, New York
- Died: October 28, 1993
- Place of death: Beverly Hills, California
- Father: James Duke
- Mother: Nanaline Duke
- Grandfather: Washington Duke
- An only child
- Ex-husbands: James H.R. Cromwell, Porfirio Rubirosa
- Adopted daughter: Chandi Heffner (later estranged)
- Bernard Lafferty was her butler
- Left control of her estate to Lafferty2
- Amount of estate: $1.2 billion2
- Cremated after she died2
- Ashes scattered in Pacific Ocean2
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