Leona Helmsley
| Leona Helmsley | |
|---|---|
Leona Helmsley, NYC, 1988
|
|
| Born |
Lena Mindy Rosenthal July 4, 1920 Marbletown, New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 20, 2007 (aged 87) Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Occupation | Hotelier, real estate investor |
| Net worth |
 US$8 billion |
| Spouse(s) | Leo Panzirer (m. 1938, div. 1952) Joseph Lubin (Twice divorced) Harry Helmsley (m. April 8, 1972 – d. 1997) |
Leona Mindy Roberts Helmsley (born Lena Mindy Rosenthal; July 4, 1920 – August 20, 2007) was an American businesswoman. She was known for her flamboyant personality and had a reputation for tyrannical behavior that earned her the sobriquet Queen of Mean. She was promoted by the Beber Silverstein Group and its co-founder Joyce Beber persuaded Helmsley to replace that title with Queen of the Palace Hotel instead.
After allegations of non-payment by her of contractors hired by her to build her home, Helmsley was investigated and convicted of federal income tax evasion and other crimes in 1989. Although having initially received a sentence of 16 years, Helmsley was required to serve only 19 months in prison and two months under house arrest. During the trial, a former housekeeper testified that she had heard Helmsley say: "We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes", an aphorism with which she was identified for the rest of her life.
Leona Helmsley was born Lena Mindy Rosenthal in Marbletown, New York, to Polish Jewish immigrants, Ida (née Popkin), a homemaker, and Morris Rosenthal, a hatmaker. Her family moved to Brooklyn while she was still a girl, and moved six more times before settling in Manhattan. She dropped out of Abraham Lincoln High School to seek her fortune. In a short time, she changed her name several times—from Lee Roberts, Mindy Roberts and Leni Roberts. Eventually, she decided on Leona Mindy Roberts. She legally changed her surname to Roberts. She was a chain smoker, consuming several packs a day. Helmsley would later claim that she appeared in billboard ads for Chesterfield cigarettes, but her claim remains unsubstantiated.
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