Irene Wells Pennington
American centenarian
About Irene Wells Pennington
Lived 1898 – 2003 (aged 104). Irene Wells Pennington was an American.
Irene Wells Pennington (December 1898 – July 17, 2003) was the widow of Claude B. "Doc" Pennington, a wealthy oilman from Louisiana.
When he was well into his 90s and losing his touch mentally, she had him declared mentally incompetent and took charge of his fortune, estimated by Forbes at $600 million.
She straightened out financial irregularities and replaced managers then and shortly after his death, before largely retiring.
This drew considerable attention, not only because of the substantial value of the fortune, but because of the fact of a senile nonagenarian's affairs being taken over by someone actually slightly older than he.
The Pennington family still owns substantial land in southern Louisiana. The Pennington Biomedical Research Center was named for the family.
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Important facts
People in Irene Wells Pennington's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Irene Wells Pennington's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Irene Wells Pennington?
American centenarian
When was Irene Wells Pennington born?
Irene Wells Pennington was born on 1 December 1898.
When did Irene Wells Pennington die?
Irene Wells Pennington died on 17 July 2003.
What nationality was Irene Wells Pennington?
Irene Wells Pennington was American.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Irene Wells Pennington
· DBpedia: Irene Wells Pennington
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Irene Wells Pennington. https://biography.guide/irene-wells-pennington/
MLA: "Irene Wells Pennington." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/irene-wells-pennington/.
Chicago: "Irene Wells Pennington." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/irene-wells-pennington/.
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