august march wealthy lumber baron michigan time death wealth estimated million time early 1900s ranked wealthiest men america best known lumber mills timber holdings involved iron mining railroads salt mines finances politician holding offices mayor east member final years lived mansion servants estranged friends family nicknamed lone pine michigan officially died age unusual bizarre finely wrought court annals contained spite clause conceived avenge family feud specified wait years children grandchildren dead bulk fortune descendants effect children grandchildren estate small conditions met death descendants finally received estate worth million legacy today mixed seen old man generous city famously wealthy american entrepreneur biography born august town pike near rochester new_york ninth thirteen siblings eldest son father mother poor farmers came old new_england line tracing settled scotland lineage included notable michigan surveyor described father age seven moved parents michigan worked family farm michigan years old subsequent life career generation identified growth progress new state wellington father died guidance mother farm manager entered struggle incident pioneer life attended years college age decided world obtained work sailor abroad australia new_zealand recall australia favorite foreign country returned home age found burgeoning timber industry michigan green gold rush took job earning month lumber camp near michigan month promoted camp double wages tall strong knew orders savings started lumber company buying acres founded community melbourne near michigan named favorite city australia melbourne largest complete mills world destroyed fire unknown origin time thought end fortunes owned timber land including minnesota turned favourable heart immensely valuable iron range addition timber iron holdings fortune salt industry railroads foreign bonds banking investments invested running time owned system bought railways russia china plans build sugar factory michigan idea failed come fruition political career included time mayor east unsuccessful fusion candidate position governor michigan elected member michigan state senate 22nd district fusion ticket democratic candidate representative michigan 8th district capitol account read conspicuous political distinguished act said tried hard politics strange joked meant kick man later life lived story brick mansion demolished today parking lot failing hearing taken care servants isolation family social circles later years known lone pine michigan radical stomach surgery age death certificate lists cause death buried forest lawn cemetery michigan usa plot section plot married twice seven children daughters wife daughter younger sons second wife wife married second married february bizarre american legal history contained spite clause specified wait children grandchildren dead estate dispersed descendants lifetime children receive relatively small favorite son received annually daughter got secretary received annually children cook received annually stipulated majority estate held trust years death surviving alive time death condition met years november death time legal negotiations fortune finally distributed descendants estate estimated total million million split descendants weighted based age included great grandchildren seven great great grandchildren great great great grandchildren youngest oldest biggest received million smallest million end thirty descendants including children grandchildren missed inheritance ineligible died conditions met entirely clear unusual newspaper records suggest family feuds likely core decision challenged children died legal hole found estate composed iron minnesota minnesota law long standing portion estate amounting million distributed children grandchildren son daughters additional taken trust settlement suit filed heirs estates descendants legacy legacy mixed hand famous successful business man contributed community ways generally regarded lifetime hand best known today bizarre giving reputation old man historian said sic took selfish rich guy picture emerges threw community tough children originally devised millions city retracted officials increased property assessment million years died known story recounts ordered horses lumber mill worked death horses fat reportedly said trim sir logs dispose refused kill horses fired found carry generous life honored death charitable giving lifetime extensive including funding city auditorium women hospital later town michigan named street borders block home carries use today community center trips steamer popular day excursion inducted hall fame
Wellington R. Burt