In 2001, Barbara Piasecka-Johnson was listed among the 20 richest women according to Forbes magazine. Her wealth was estimated at $2.9 billion. She was an art collector, philanthropist, and successful entrepreneur. How did Barbara Piasecka-Johnson become a billionaire from a maid?
She took a job at the home of the founders of Johnson & Johnson. When the host saw her for the first time, he was enchanted
Barbara Piasecka-Johnson was born on February 25, 1937 in Staniewicze, a former village in the Białystok Voivodship, today in Belarus. After World War II, the Piasecki family moved to the vicinity of Lower Silesia. Barbara studied art history at the University of Wrocław. She worked in Wrocław’s Desa, a state-owned enterprise dealing in antiques and works of art, but quickly decided to emigrate.
First, she landed in a refugee camp in Rome, then flew to New York, where she took a job as a cook in the home of Esther and John Seward Johnson, owners of the Johnson & Johnson cosmetics and pharmaceutical company. She was a nice girl with a cheerful smile. She won people over quickly. When John Seward Johnson saw Barbara for the first time, he was to be charmed by her smile. He expressed his hope that the woman would be happy in his house, but he did not expect that she would take his wife’s place soon.
Seward Johnson did everything he could to keep her. Soon after, he divorced his wife
She had worked as a cook in the Johnson household for only a week. She could not cook, served burnt and under-seasoned dishes, but the Johnsons did not fire her, but offered her a job as a maid. Barbara agreed, but at that time she met a sailor, Piotr Ejsmont, with whom she wanted to start a family. After a year, she decided to quit her job. Johnson could not accept her decision. To keep Barbara, he offered her a job curating exhibitions, then took her on a trip to the Bahamas, as he planned to hire her at the Oceanographic Institute.
During the voyage, the two became very close, and on their return they found Peter lost at sea. Johnson rented an apartment in Manhattan and moved in with Piasecka. But Barbara wasn’t going to be just a lover. She gave Johnson an ultimatum, and he soon from his wife.
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The malicious accused her of being a dowry hunter. She was with her husband until his death
John Seward was 40 years her senior, and although many people accused Barbara of having a relationship with Johnson only for the money, she stayed with him until his death in 1983, when he died of cancer. Their lasted 12 years. They had no offspring, and after his death, Johnson’s five children sued Barbara. Before his death, the billionaire changed his will and disinherited his children, and transferred most of his fortune to his wife. The court battles were watched all over the world. Eventually, a settlement was reached. The children received $30 million each, and Barbara $350 million.
She quickly multiplied her fortune, and in 2001 she was included in the list of the richest women according to Forbes magazine. She died in 2013 in Sobótka near Wrocław, where she spent the last years of her life.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
