Liliane Bettencourt
Encyclopedia
Liliane Bettencourt is a French
heiress
, socialite
, businesswoman and philanthropist
. She is one of the principal shareholder
s of L'Oréal
and, with a fortune estimated at US$23.5 billion, is one of the wealthiest people in the world.
, the founder of L'Oréal
, one of the world's largest cosmetics
and beauty
companies. Her mother died in 1927 when Liliane was 5 years old, and she formed a close bond with her father, who later married Liliane's British governess. At the age of 15, she joined her father’s company as an apprentice, mixing cosmetics and labelling bottles of shampoo.
In 1950, she married French politician André Bettencourt
, who served as a cabinet minister in French governments of the 1960s and 1970s and rose to become deputy chairman of L’Oréal. Bettencourt had been a member of La Cagoule
, a violent French fascist
group that Liliane's father had funded and supported in the 1930s and that collaborated with the Nazis during World War II
. After the war, her husband, like other members of La Cagoule, was given refuge at L'Oréal despite his politically inconvenient past. Eventually, the Bettencourts settled in an Art Moderne mansion built in 1951 on rue de Delabordère in Neuilly-sur-Seine
, France. They had one daughter, Françoise
, who was born on 10 July 1953.
In 1957, Liliane Bettencourt inherited the L'Oréal fortune when her father died, becoming the principal shareholder
of L'Oréal. In 1963, the company went public, although Bettencourt continued to own a majority stake. In 1974, she exchanged almost half of her stake for a three percent (3%) stake in Nestlé
S.A.
As of 31 December 2009, Ms Bettencourt owned 185,661,879 (31.0%) of the outstanding shares of L'Oréal (of which, 76,440,541 (12.76%) shares are effectively held in trust for her daughter), while the remainder is owned as follows: 178,381,021 (29.78%) shares by Nestlé
, 216,384,762 (36.12%) shares are publicly held and the remainder are held as treasury stock or in the company savings plan. The Bettencourt family and Nestle act in concert pursuant to a shareholders’ agreement. Ms Bettencourt is a member of the board of directors of L'Oréal, a position she has held since 1995. Bettencourt’s daughter and her daughter’s husband (Jean-Pierre Meyers) are also members of the board of directors.
, France
.
The Foundation, which has an annual budget of £160 million, devotes approximately 55% of its funds to scientific education and research, 33% to humanitarian and social projects and 12% to culture and arts. It sponsors prizes through which funds are disbursed to various recipients. For example, the “Liliane Bettencourt Prize for Life Sciences” is an annual award to a top European biomedical researcher under the age of 45. Winners receive €250,000 to support their work in the field of life science.
Recently, the Foundation helped fund the new Monet wing at the Musée Marmottan Monet.
, the estrangement with her daughter Françoise and her alleged funding of conservative French politicians, including French president Nicolas Sarkozy
.
, a French writer, artist and celebrity photographer, in 1987 when he was commissioned to photograph her for the French magazine Egoiste. Over the ensuing years, Banier and Bettencourt became friends and she became his chief benefactor, bestowing gifts upon him estimated to be worth as much as €1.3 billion. These gifts include, amongst other things, a life insurance policy worth €253 million in 2003, another life insurance policy worth €262 million in 2006, 11 works of art in 2001 valued at €20 million, including paintings by Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian
, Delaunay
and Léger
, a photograph by surrealist Man Ray
, and cash. The life insurance policies were allegedly signed over to Banier after Bettencourt was recovering from two hospital stays in 2003 and 2006.
In December 2007, just a month after the death of her father, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers lodged a criminal complaint against Banier, accusing him of abus de faiblesse (or the exploitation of a physical or psychological weakness for personal gain) over Bettencourt. As a result of her complaint, the Brigade Financière, the financial investigative arm of the French national police, opened in investigation and, after interviewing members of Bettencourt’s staff, determined to present the case to a court in Nanterre
for trial in September 2009. In December 2009, the court delayed ruling on the case until April 2010 (later extended until July 2010) pending the results of a medical examination of Bettencourt’s mental state. However, Bettencourt refused to submit to these examinations.
In July 2010, the trial was adjourned again until autumn 2010, at the earliest, after details of tape recordings made by Bettencourt’s butler, Pascal Bonnefoy, became public. The tapes allegedly reveal that Bettencourt had made Banier her “sole heir,” excluding the L'Oréal shares which make up the bulk of Bettencourt’s estate and which have already been signed over to her daughter and two grandsons.
On 6 December 2010, Bettencourt reconciled with her daughter, ending a series of lawsuits. It is reported that Bettencourt and Banier had separated, and he was eventually written out of Bettencourt's will. However, the spat reignited over the summer when Mrs Bettencourt said her daughter needed to seek psychological help . A re-estrangement resulted.
Guardianship
On June 8 2011, it was reported daughter Meyers filed an application with the court to make Bettencourt a ward
of the state for her health and being incapable of the management of her fortune . from her daughter.
On 17 October 2011 a French judge made the ruling based that she is to be placed under the guardianship
of members of her family on concerns about Mrs Bettencourt's declining mental health. Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers, who, along with two grandsons, will now control her wealth and property . Another grandson was named as her personal guardian . Liliane Bettencourt's lawyer said he would appeal, and told Le Monde newspaper that "Mrs. Bettencourt was ready for 'nuclear war' with her daughter." The court's ruling will remain in place pending the appeals process
.
's Ponzi scheme
, losing € 22 million. She was the first investor in a fund managed by Access International Advisors, which was co-founded by René-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet
. De la Villehuchet committed suicide on 23 December 2008 after it became known that his funds had invested a substantial amount of their capital with Madoff.
, Bettencourt became embroiled in a high-level French political scandal after other details of the tape recordings made by her butler became public. The tapes allegedly picked up conversations between Bettencourt and her financial adviser, Patrice de Maistre, which indicate that Bettencourt may have avoided paying taxes by keeping a substantial amount of cash in undeclared Swiss bank accounts. The tapes also allegedly captured a conversation between Bettencourt and Éric Wœrth, who was soliciting a job for his wife managing Bettencourt’s wealth, while he was acting as budget minister and running a high-profile campaign to catch wealthy tax evaders. Moreover, Bettencourt received a €30 million tax rebate while Woerth was budget minister.
In July 2010, the scandal appeared to widen after Bettencourt’s former accountant, Claire Thibout, alleged in an interview with the French investigative web-site Mediapart, that conservative French politicians were frequently given envelopes stuffed with cash at the Bettencourt’s mansion in Neuilly-sur-Seine. She alleged that Woerth, while acting as treasurer for the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP)
, was given an envelope containing €150,000 in cash in March 2007 towards the presidential campaign of Nicolas Sarkozy
. She also made, then retracted, a claim that Sarkozy was a frequent visitor to the Bettencourt’s home while he was mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine from 1983 to 2002 and received envelopes containing cash. A few days later, she affirmed to receive pressure from the French police in order to retract her testimony about Nicolas Sarkozy's illegal cash. Mr Sarkozy and Mr Woerth both deny wrongdoing. Following these allegations, French police raided the home and office of de Maistre, who heads Clymène, the company owned by Bettencourt to manage her wealth. Political donations are limited to €7,500 for political parties and €4,600 for individuals. Contributions above €150 must be paid by cheque with the donor clearly identified.
and the second richest person in France (behind Bernard Arnault
).
In 2005, Forbes judged her to be the 39th most powerful woman in the world.
Amongst her closest friends is the recluse Sonja Zuckerman, an Egyptian socialite known for her charitable contributions around the world and the grandmother of Richard Rodriguez Mendez, a major contributor to the Vizcaya Museum
and The Deering Estate
.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
heiress
Beneficiary
A beneficiary in the broadest sense is a natural person or other legal entity who receives money or other benefits from a benefactor. For example: The beneficiary of a life insurance policy, is the person who receives the payment of the amount of insurance after the death of the insured...
, socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
, businesswoman and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. She is one of the principal shareholder
Shareholder
A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private corporation. Shareholders own the stock, but not the corporation itself ....
s of L'Oréal
L'Oréal
The L'Oréal Group is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics...
and, with a fortune estimated at US$23.5 billion, is one of the wealthiest people in the world.
Biography
Bettencourt was born in Paris, France, the only child of Eugène SchuellerEugène Schueller
Eugène Schueller was the founder of L'Oréal, the world's leading company in cosmetics and beauty.- Career with L'Oréal :...
, the founder of L'Oréal
L'Oréal
The L'Oréal Group is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics...
, one of the world's largest cosmetics
Cosmetics
Cosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
and beauty
Beauty
Beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction. Beauty is studied as part of aesthetics, sociology, social psychology, and culture...
companies. Her mother died in 1927 when Liliane was 5 years old, and she formed a close bond with her father, who later married Liliane's British governess. At the age of 15, she joined her father’s company as an apprentice, mixing cosmetics and labelling bottles of shampoo.
In 1950, she married French politician André Bettencourt
André Bettencourt
André Bettencourt was a French politician. He had been awarded the Croix de Guerre, and is a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor...
, who served as a cabinet minister in French governments of the 1960s and 1970s and rose to become deputy chairman of L’Oréal. Bettencourt had been a member of La Cagoule
La Cagoule
La Cagoule , officially called Comité secret d'action révolutionnaire , was a violent French fascist-leaning and anti-communist group, active in the 1930s, and designed to attempt the overthrow of the French Third Republic...
, a violent French fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
group that Liliane's father had funded and supported in the 1930s and that collaborated with the Nazis during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war, her husband, like other members of La Cagoule, was given refuge at L'Oréal despite his politically inconvenient past. Eventually, the Bettencourts settled in an Art Moderne mansion built in 1951 on rue de Delabordère in Neuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.Although Neuilly is technically a suburb of Paris, it is immediately adjacent to the city and directly extends it. The area is composed of mostly wealthy, select residential...
, France. They had one daughter, Françoise
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers
Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers is a French heiress and author of Bible commentaries and works on Jewish-Christian relations. The only daughter and thus under French law heiress of Liliane Bettencourt, Meyers was raised in a strictly Catholic household. However she married the Jewish grandson of a...
, who was born on 10 July 1953.
In 1957, Liliane Bettencourt inherited the L'Oréal fortune when her father died, becoming the principal shareholder
Shareholder
A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private corporation. Shareholders own the stock, but not the corporation itself ....
of L'Oréal. In 1963, the company went public, although Bettencourt continued to own a majority stake. In 1974, she exchanged almost half of her stake for a three percent (3%) stake in Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
S.A.
As of 31 December 2009, Ms Bettencourt owned 185,661,879 (31.0%) of the outstanding shares of L'Oréal (of which, 76,440,541 (12.76%) shares are effectively held in trust for her daughter), while the remainder is owned as follows: 178,381,021 (29.78%) shares by Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
, 216,384,762 (36.12%) shares are publicly held and the remainder are held as treasury stock or in the company savings plan. The Bettencourt family and Nestle act in concert pursuant to a shareholders’ agreement. Ms Bettencourt is a member of the board of directors of L'Oréal, a position she has held since 1995. Bettencourt’s daughter and her daughter’s husband (Jean-Pierre Meyers) are also members of the board of directors.
Philanthropy
In 1987, Liliane Bettencourt, together with her husband and daughter, founded the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation (la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller) to support and develop medical, cultural and humanitarian projects. The Foundation is based in Neuilly-sur-SeineNeuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.Although Neuilly is technically a suburb of Paris, it is immediately adjacent to the city and directly extends it. The area is composed of mostly wealthy, select residential...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The Foundation, which has an annual budget of £160 million, devotes approximately 55% of its funds to scientific education and research, 33% to humanitarian and social projects and 12% to culture and arts. It sponsors prizes through which funds are disbursed to various recipients. For example, the “Liliane Bettencourt Prize for Life Sciences” is an annual award to a top European biomedical researcher under the age of 45. Winners receive €250,000 to support their work in the field of life science.
Recently, the Foundation helped fund the new Monet wing at the Musée Marmottan Monet.
Recent publicity
Bettencourt has generally shunned media attention and grants few interviews. However, since 2007, she has faced intense media scrutiny and publicity over her relationship with François-Marie BanierFrançois-Marie Banier
François-Marie Banier is a French novelist, playwright, artist, actor and photographer. He is particularly known for his photographs of celebrities and other public figures and for his friendships with members of high society.-Life and career:...
, the estrangement with her daughter Françoise and her alleged funding of conservative French politicians, including French president Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
.
“L’affaire Bettencourt”
By most accounts, Liliane Bettencourt met François-Marie BanierFrançois-Marie Banier
François-Marie Banier is a French novelist, playwright, artist, actor and photographer. He is particularly known for his photographs of celebrities and other public figures and for his friendships with members of high society.-Life and career:...
, a French writer, artist and celebrity photographer, in 1987 when he was commissioned to photograph her for the French magazine Egoiste. Over the ensuing years, Banier and Bettencourt became friends and she became his chief benefactor, bestowing gifts upon him estimated to be worth as much as €1.3 billion. These gifts include, amongst other things, a life insurance policy worth €253 million in 2003, another life insurance policy worth €262 million in 2006, 11 works of art in 2001 valued at €20 million, including paintings by Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian
Mondrian
Mondrian may refer to:* Piet Mondrian , artist* The Mondrian, a tower in the Cityplace neighborhood of Oak Lawn, Dallas, Texas, named for the artist* Mondrian Hotel, a 1959 hotel in Los Angeles...
, Delaunay
Delaunay
-Arts:* Catherine Delaunay , French jazz clarinet player and composer* Charles Delaunay , French author and jazz expert* Elie Delaunay , French painter* Louis Arsene Delaunay , French actor...
and Léger
Léger
Léger is a surname, and may refer to:* Alexis Leger – French poet and diplomat* Fernand Léger – French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker* Jules Léger – Governor General of Canada * Louis Léger – French writer and pioneer in Slavic studies...
, a photograph by surrealist Man Ray
Man Ray
Man Ray , born Emmanuel Radnitzky, was an American artist who spent most of his career in Paris, France. Perhaps best described simply as a modernist, he was a significant contributor to both the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to each were informal...
, and cash. The life insurance policies were allegedly signed over to Banier after Bettencourt was recovering from two hospital stays in 2003 and 2006.
In December 2007, just a month after the death of her father, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers lodged a criminal complaint against Banier, accusing him of abus de faiblesse (or the exploitation of a physical or psychological weakness for personal gain) over Bettencourt. As a result of her complaint, the Brigade Financière, the financial investigative arm of the French national police, opened in investigation and, after interviewing members of Bettencourt’s staff, determined to present the case to a court in Nanterre
Nanterre
Nanterre is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located west of the center of Paris.Nanterre is the capital of the Hauts-de-Seine department as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Nanterre....
for trial in September 2009. In December 2009, the court delayed ruling on the case until April 2010 (later extended until July 2010) pending the results of a medical examination of Bettencourt’s mental state. However, Bettencourt refused to submit to these examinations.
In July 2010, the trial was adjourned again until autumn 2010, at the earliest, after details of tape recordings made by Bettencourt’s butler, Pascal Bonnefoy, became public. The tapes allegedly reveal that Bettencourt had made Banier her “sole heir,” excluding the L'Oréal shares which make up the bulk of Bettencourt’s estate and which have already been signed over to her daughter and two grandsons.
On 6 December 2010, Bettencourt reconciled with her daughter, ending a series of lawsuits. It is reported that Bettencourt and Banier had separated, and he was eventually written out of Bettencourt's will. However, the spat reignited over the summer when Mrs Bettencourt said her daughter needed to seek psychological help . A re-estrangement resulted.
Guardianship
On June 8 2011, it was reported daughter Meyers filed an application with the court to make Bettencourt a ward
Ward (law)
In law, a ward is someone placed under the protection of a legal guardian. A court may take responsibility for the legal protection of an individual, usually either a child or incapacitated person, in which case the ward is known as a ward of the court, or a ward of the state, in the United States,...
of the state for her health and being incapable of the management of her fortune . from her daughter.
On 17 October 2011 a French judge made the ruling based that she is to be placed under the guardianship
Legal guardian
A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward. Usually, a person has the status of guardian because the ward is incapable of caring for his or her own interests due to infancy, incapacity, or disability...
of members of her family on concerns about Mrs Bettencourt's declining mental health. Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers, who, along with two grandsons, will now control her wealth and property . Another grandson was named as her personal guardian . Liliane Bettencourt's lawyer said he would appeal, and told Le Monde newspaper that "Mrs. Bettencourt was ready for 'nuclear war' with her daughter." The court's ruling will remain in place pending the appeals process
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
.
Madoff victim
Bettencourt was reported to be one of the most high-profile victims of Bernard MadoffBernard Madoff
Bernard Lawrence "Bernie" Madoff is a former American businessman, stockbroker, investment advisor, and financier. He is the former non-executive chairman of the NASDAQ stock market, and the admitted operator of a Ponzi scheme that is considered to be the largest financial fraud in U.S...
's Ponzi scheme
Ponzi scheme
A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to its investors from their own money or the money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from any actual profit earned by the individual or organization running the operation...
, losing € 22 million. She was the first investor in a fund managed by Access International Advisors, which was co-founded by René-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet
René-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet
René-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet, also known as Thierry de la Villehuchet for short was a French aristocrat, money manager, and businessman, and one of the founders of Access International Advisors .The AIA Group is a research analyst investment agency that specializes in managing hedged and...
. De la Villehuchet committed suicide on 23 December 2008 after it became known that his funds had invested a substantial amount of their capital with Madoff.
Political scandal
In June 2010 during the Bettencourt affairBettencourt affair
The Bettencourt affair involves illegal payments by Liliane Bettencourt to members of the French government associated with Nicolas Sarkozy in 2010.-History:...
, Bettencourt became embroiled in a high-level French political scandal after other details of the tape recordings made by her butler became public. The tapes allegedly picked up conversations between Bettencourt and her financial adviser, Patrice de Maistre, which indicate that Bettencourt may have avoided paying taxes by keeping a substantial amount of cash in undeclared Swiss bank accounts. The tapes also allegedly captured a conversation between Bettencourt and Éric Wœrth, who was soliciting a job for his wife managing Bettencourt’s wealth, while he was acting as budget minister and running a high-profile campaign to catch wealthy tax evaders. Moreover, Bettencourt received a €30 million tax rebate while Woerth was budget minister.
In July 2010, the scandal appeared to widen after Bettencourt’s former accountant, Claire Thibout, alleged in an interview with the French investigative web-site Mediapart, that conservative French politicians were frequently given envelopes stuffed with cash at the Bettencourt’s mansion in Neuilly-sur-Seine. She alleged that Woerth, while acting as treasurer for the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP)
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party...
, was given an envelope containing €150,000 in cash in March 2007 towards the presidential campaign of Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
. She also made, then retracted, a claim that Sarkozy was a frequent visitor to the Bettencourt’s home while he was mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine from 1983 to 2002 and received envelopes containing cash. A few days later, she affirmed to receive pressure from the French police in order to retract her testimony about Nicolas Sarkozy's illegal cash. Mr Sarkozy and Mr Woerth both deny wrongdoing. Following these allegations, French police raided the home and office of de Maistre, who heads Clymène, the company owned by Bettencourt to manage her wealth. Political donations are limited to €7,500 for political parties and €4,600 for individuals. Contributions above €150 must be paid by cheque with the donor clearly identified.
Forbes’ rankings
Forbes ranks Bettencourt at 15th in its list of the world’s wealthiest persons with an estimated fortune of US$23.5 billion. She is the richest woman in Europe, the second richest woman in the world (behind Christy WaltonChristy Walton
Christy Ruth Walton is the widow of John T. Walton, who was a son of Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart. After John's death in June 2005, she inherited his fortune of $15.7 billion....
and the second richest person in France (behind Bernard Arnault
Bernard Arnault
Bernard Arnault is a French business magnate who is best known as the chairman and CEO of the French conglomerate LVMH. According to Forbes Magazine, Arnault is the world's 4th and Europe's richest person, with a 2011 net worth of US$41 billion.-Education and business career:Arnault was born...
).
In 2005, Forbes judged her to be the 39th most powerful woman in the world.
Amongst her closest friends is the recluse Sonja Zuckerman, an Egyptian socialite known for her charitable contributions around the world and the grandmother of Richard Rodriguez Mendez, a major contributor to the Vizcaya Museum
Villa Vizcaya
Vizcaya, now named the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, is the former villa and estate of businessman James Deering, of the Deering McCormick-International Harvester fortune, on Biscayne Bay in the present day Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida...
and The Deering Estate
Charles Deering Estate
Charles Deering Estate was the Florida home of Charles Deering until 1927 when he died at the estate.-Description:...
.