Marguerite Harbert
Marguerite Jones Harbert | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1923 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | Error: Need valid birth date (second date): year, month, day |
| Occupation(s) | Philanthropist, billionaire |
| Known for | Philanthropy, wealth inheritance from Harbert Corporation founder John M. Harbert |
Marguerite Jones Harbert (1923 – March 17, 2015) was a prominent American billionaire and philanthropist based in Alabama.
Early life
Marguerite Jones entered the world in 1923 in Birmingham, Alabama, the daughter of Raymond McAdoo Jones and Marguerite Nabers Jones, descending from one of Birmingham's founding families. She had one sibling, a sister named Alice McGriff.
Her education included Mountain Brook Elementary School and Phillips High School, culminating in her graduation from Birmingham–Southern College, where she held the position of president for the Kappa Delta sorority chapter.
Philanthropy
Jones dedicated part of her career to the American Red Cross in Jefferson County, Alabama, and engaged as a volunteer with numerous organizations such as the Junior League of Birmingham, Advent Day School, All-Saints School, Children's Hospital, Center for Developmental Learning Disabilities, Spain Rehabilitation, Birmingham Art Association, Birmingham Ballet League, American Heart Association, and Linly Heflin Unit. Additionally, she was active artistically through her membership in the American Needlepoint Guild.
Her commitment extended to governance roles including serving on the Board of Trustees at Birmingham-Southern College—where a building bears her name, the Marguerite Jones Harbert Building—and her induction into the college’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. Harbert also contributed as a trustee for the Birmingham Museum of Art and Cancer Comprehensive, as well as participating on the Board of Regents for the Smithsonian Institution.
Personal life
She wed John M. Harbert, founder of Harbert Corporation, whom she had known since grade school. Together they had two sons: John Murdoch Harbert IV, who was born with William's Syndrome, and Raymond J. Harbert, who established Harbert Management Corporation in 1993; they also had a daughter named Marguerite Harbert Gray. The family resided in Mountain Brook, Alabama and spent summers in Highlands, North Carolina, attending St. Mary's on-the-Highlands Episcopal Church.
Their marriage lasted 43 years until John’s passing in 1995, after which she inherited his wealth. By 2013, she was recognized as Alabama’s wealthiest person with an estimated net worth around US$1.5 billion. She remarked that overseeing such an estate was "hard in a way."
Her affiliations included membership in the Nineteenth Century Club and the Little Garden Club of America.
Death
Marguerite Jones Harbert passed away on March 17, 2015.