Doris Duke Last Will and Testament

Download this free copy of the Last Will and Testament of Doris Duke, American heiress, horticulturalist, art collector and philanthropist (1912-1993).

When her father died when Doris was just 12 years old, she inherited a fortune estimated at about $100 million. At the age of 14, she took her mother to court and successfully prevented her from selling the family's 2,700 acre estate.

When Duke came of age, she used her wealth to pursue a variety of interests, including extensive world travel and the arts. During World War II, she worked in a canteen for sailors in Egypt, taking a salary of one dollar a year. She apparently spoke nine languages. In 1945, Duke began a short-lived career as a foreign correspondent for the International News Service, reporting from different cities across the war-ravaged Europe. After the war, she moved to Paris and wrote for the magazine Harper's Bazaar.

While living in Hawaii, Duke became the first woman to take up competition surfing. A lover of animals, in particular her dogs and pet camels, in her later years Duke became a wildlife refuge supporter, an environmental conservationist, and a patron of historic preservation.

Biographical material taken from Wikipedia.com.