Marguerite Jones Harbert (1923 – March 17, 2015) was an American philanthropist and billionaire from

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

Early life

Margarite Jones was born in 1923 in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

. Her father was Raymond McAdoo Jones and her mother, Marguerite Nabers Jones.Obituary: Marguerite Jones Harbert
''The Birmingham News'', March 17, 2015 She had a sister, Alice McGriff. She descended from Birmingham's founders. She was educated at Mountain Brook Elementary School and Phillips High School. She graduated from

Birmingham–Southern College Birmingham–Southern College (BSC) is a private college in Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 1856, the college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). More than 1 ...

, where she served as president of the

Kappa Delta Kappa Delta (, also known as KD or Kaydee) was the first sorority founded at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University), in Farmville, Virginia. Kappa Delta is one of the "Farmville Four" sororities founded at the university, wh ...

sorority chapter.

Philanthropy

Jones worked for 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 ...

Jefferson County, Alabama Jefferson County is the List of counties in Alabama, most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, located in the central portion of the state. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 674,721. Its county seat i ...

. Later, she volunteered for the "

Junior League The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (Junior League or JL) is a private, nonprofit educational women's volunteer organization aimed at improving communities and the social, cultural, and political fabric of civil society. With ...

of Birmingham, Advent Day School, All-Saints School,

Children's Hospital A children's hospital is a hospital that offers its services exclusively to infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In certain special cases, they may also treat adults. The number of children's hospitals proliferated in the 20th ...

, Center for Developmental Learning Disabilities, Spain Rehabilitation, Birmingham Art Association, Birmingham Ballet League,

American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and death ...

and Linly Heflin Unit." A member of the American Needlepoint Guild, she needlepointed an armchair for

Alabama Governor's Mansion The Alabama Governor's Mansion is the official residence of the governor of Alabama and the governor's family in Montgomery, the capital city of Alabama. The current Governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey lives at the governor's mansion. The original g ...

. She served on the Board of Trustees of her alma mater, Birmingham-Southern College, where the Marguerite Jones Harbert Building was named in her honor. She was also inducted into its Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. She also served on the Boards of Trustees of the

Birmingham Museum of Art The Birmingham Museum of Art is a museum in Birmingham, Alabama. It has one of the most extensive collections of artwork in the Southeastern United States, with more than 24,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative arts repres ...

and Cancer Comprehensive. Additionally, she served on the Board of Regents of 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 ...

Personal life

She married John M. Harbert, the founder of

Harbert Corporation Harbert Management Corporation, based in Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, is a United States, U.S. investment management company founded in 1993 by Raymond J. Harbert. Overview The company has Investment fund, investment funds in nine a ...

, whom she had met in grade school. They had two sons, John Murdoch Harbert IV (born with William's Syndrome) and Raymond J. Harbert (who founded

Harbert Management Corporation Harbert Management Corporation, based in Birmingham, Alabama, is a U.S. investment management company founded in 1993 by Raymond J. Harbert. Overview The company has investment funds in nine alternative asset classes in three areas of concentra ...

in 1993), and a daughter, Marguerite Harbert Gray. They resided in

Mountain Brook, Alabama Mountain Brook is a city in southeastern Jefferson County, Alabama, United States, and a suburb of Birmingham. Its population at the 2010 census was 20,413. History The city was originally developed in 1929 by real-estate businessman Robert Jemi ...

, and summered in

Highlands, North Carolina Highlands is an incorporation (municipal government), incorporated town in Macon County, North Carolina, Macon County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located on a plateau in the southern Appalachian Mountains, within the Nantahala National Fo ...

. They attended St. Mary's on-the-Highlands Episcopal Church. The couple were married for 43 years. In 1995, her husband predeceased her, and upon his death, she inherited his fortune. By 2013, she was the wealthiest person in Alabama, with an estimated wealth of US$1.5 billion. She admitted she found it "hard in a way" to be rich.The Associated Press
Alabama's richest person says that being wealthy is 'hard in a way'
''The Tuscaloosa News'', March 2, 2004 She was a member of the Nineteenth Century Club and the Little Garden Club of America.

Death

She died on March 17, 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harbert, Marguerite 1923 births 2015 deaths People from Birmingham, Alabama People from Mountain Brook, Alabama Birmingham–Southern College alumni Philanthropists from Alabama American billionaires Female billionaires Harbert family American women philanthropists