Margaret Anne Cargill (September 24, 1920 – August 1, 2006) was an American

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

and heiress to part of the

Cargill Cargill, Incorporated, is a privately held American global food corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 1865, it is the largest privately held corporation in the United States in ter ...

fortune.

Biography

Early life

Margaret Anne Cargill was born September 24, 1920, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, the daughter of

Austen Cargill Austen Stowell Cargill (April 8, 1888 – May 24, 1957) was an American businessman. He was the son of William Wallace Cargill, the founder of Cargill, the largest privately held company in the United States. Early life Austen Cargill was the ...

and granddaughter of W. W. Cargill. She grew up in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

. She earned a degree in arts education from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

and moved to

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

Philanthropy

She became one of eight heirs to the Minneapolis-based grain-trading conglomerate

. ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' magazine listed her in 2005 as the 164th-richest American, with a net worth of $1.8 billion. She was a major donor to the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

, the

Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

, the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

and the

American Swedish Institute The American Swedish Institute (ASI) is a museum and cultural center in the Phillips West neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The organization is dedicated to the preservation and study of the historic role Sweden and Swedish A ...

. She gave away more than $200 million, always anonymously. She established the Anne Ray Charitable Trust which provides grants for charitable and educational programs and scholarships. She provided that, after her death, the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies would use her wealth for charitable purposes.

Death

She died from complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on August 1, 2006, at her home in

La Jolla, San Diego, California LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cargill, Margaret Anne 1920 births 2006 deaths People from Los Angeles People from La Jolla, San Diego University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development alumni American billionaires American women philanthropists Philanthropists from Minnesota 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century women philanthropists

Biography

Early life

Philanthropy

Death

See also

References