"Mitzi Perdue, the double-heiress of Sheraton Hotels and Perdue Farms, grew up wearing hand-me-downs and getting a public education. She's quick to draw her purse strings by flying economy, riding the subway, and living in a modest apartment—despite sitting on a fortune from two billion-dollar American businesses. The 84-year-old journalist and philanthropist says it helps her understand "the real world.""
""The Hendersons and the Perdues did not encourage extravagance," Perdue told Fortune in a June 2025 interview. " In both families, nobody wins points for wearing designer clothes." The 84-year-old has access to a trust from her family's billion-dollar business, alongside the wealth from the Perdue empire. Yet she still lives just like anybody else: taking her shoes to the cobbler instead of buying new ones, riding the subway, flying economy, and living in a modest apartment instead of a house."
Mitzi Perdue inherited a controlling stake in Sheraton at age 26 and later gained additional wealth through marriage to Frank Perdue of Perdue Farms. Her family's hospitality company reached $12.2 billion and Perdue Farms reported over $10 billion in revenue. Despite substantial trusts and multi-billion-dollar fortunes, she lives modestly: flying economy, riding the subway, repairing shoes, and residing in a modest apartment rather than a house. Both family cultures discouraged extravagance and designer displays. She works as a journalist and philanthropist while maintaining frugal daily habits to stay connected to ordinary life and understand the real world.
Read at Fortune
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