Business & Finance

Headshot Of Restauranteur Sue Wong -- Young Woman With Long Hair Swept Up.

Sue Wong van Wiggeren

Visionary restaurateur Sue Wong van Wiggeren (1926-2019) spearheaded the opening of Mattapoisett’s iconic Cathay Temple restaurant at the age of 25. Lovingly known as “Suzie Wong,” she was raised in the restaurant business and considered her mother Jade as a standard for success in culinary arts.
Photograph Of Ruth S. Atkinson - A Headshot Of An Older Woman With Short Grey Hair, Round Glasses, And A Sweater

Ruth S. Atkinson

Devoted to sailing and the arts, Ruth Showalter Atkinson (1920-2013) appreciated the beauty of the South Coast.
Lighting The Way Logo

Cordelia Vien

At the peak of her career as a local businesswoman, Cordelia Dragon Vien (1853 -1928) owned property valued at $250,000, equivalent to nearly $6.5 million today, in New Bedford’s North End.
Photo Of Entrepreneur Lena Britto

Lena Britto

Born and raised in Rochester, entrepreneur and activist Lena Britto (1921-2007) owned and operated Van-Lee Beauty Salon in East Wareham for over 18 years.
Ada Nina Woolley Sullivan

Ada Woolley Sullivan

A resourceful real estate investor and astute textile mill treasurer, Ada Woolley Sullivan (1888-1968) became New Bedford’s first woman textile mill treasurer and took full charge of the Sullivan Silk Mills in 1934.
Portrait Of Sylvia Ann Howland

Sylvia Ann Howland

Once described as the wealthiest woman in New Bedford, philanthropist Sylvia Ann Howland (1806-1865) provided a legacy that benefited not only family members, caretakers, and charitable organizations, but also the residents of New Bedford through trusts to support education and business.
Profile Photo Of Hetty Green At 18 Years Old

Hetty Green

Known as both “The Witch of Wall Street” and “The Queen of Wall Street,” Henrietta “Hetty” Howland Robinson Green (1834-1916) was the richest woman in the world, her worth estimated at over $100 million, the equivalent of about $2.5 billion today.

Emily Howland Bourne

Emily Howland Bourne (1835-1922) showed the same careful planning in her inspired philanthropy as her father Jonathan showed as one of New Bedford’s most successful whaling merchants.
Photo Of Eliza Bierstadt

Eliza Bierstadt

Active in the local 19th-century art community of William Street, New Bedford’s “Gallery Row,” Eliza Bierstadt (1833-1896) was likely America’s first female art dealer.
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