America's Fourth Richest Woman Lives in Dallas, and She's Anna Nicole Smith's Daughter-in-Law

Categories: Biz, Legal Battles

E._Pierce_Marshall.jpg
Wikipedia
Dallas businessman E. Pierce Marshall's estate left his widow the fourt richest woman in the world.
At 70, Elaine Tettemer Marshall seems a bit old to be the daughter-in-law of someone who would have turned 46 this year. That that someone happened to be Anna Nicole Smith, the gold-digging Playboy playmate who married 86-year-old J. Howard Marshall in 1994, a year before he died, explains a lot.

The next dozen years were spent by Elaine Marshall trying to steer clear of a media circus as her husband, Dallas businessman E. Pierce Marshall, fought with Smith over control of his father's estate. She was mostly successful and, after her husband died in 2006, followed by Smith the next year, few knew her face or name.

Also unknown was exactly how much money Elaine Marshall was sitting on. Her husband's estate was reportedly worth $125 million, but, as Bloomberg reported yesterday, Marshall's net worth is more like $12.7 billion, or 100 times what was initially thought.

The added wealth, as Bloomberg reports, comes in the form of a 15-percent stake in Koch Industries, the multinational conglomerate of which David and Charles Koch own 84 of the remaining 85 percent. The holdings, acquired during extensive dealings between Howard Marshall and the Koch family starting in 1959, were placed in a trust by Pierce Marshall in 2006 after an unfavorable Supreme Court decision that bolstered Smith's claims. The assets were transferred to a trust controlled by his wife upon his death.

By Bloomberg's account, that makes makes Elaine Marshall the 69th richest person in the country and the fourth richest woman, behind Alice and Christy Walton and candy heiress Jacqueline Mars.

My Voice Nation Help
3 comments
TheCredibleHulk
TheCredibleHulk topcommenter

Why is it that every time I see the word billion, anymore, it is nearly always preceded or followed in close proximity by the name Koch. 

James080
James080 like.author.displayName 1 Like

Is she dating anyone? Does she want to?

©2013 Dallas Observer, LP, All rights reserved.
Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places Dallas / Fort Worth

    Voice Places

    Find everything you're looking for in your city

  • Happy Hour App

    Happy Hour App

    Find the best happy hour deals in your city

  • Daily Deals

    Daily Deals

    Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city