Dorrance Hill “Dodo” Hamilton, 88, the billionaire Campbell’s Soup heiress who left an indelible contribution to the greatness of Newport, RI, died Tuesday morning at her home in Boca Grande, Fla., after an illness.
Hamilton, the granddaughter of Campbell Soup founder John T. Dorrance, was a longtime fixture on Forbes’ list of the country’s 400 richest people and a noted philanthropist. Her net worth was recently estimated by Forbes at $1.26 billion.
Mrs. Hamilton was born in Lenox Hill, New York, New York on August 16th, 1928 to Nathaniel Peter Hill and Elinor Winifred Dorrance. She attended Foxcroft School, a boarding school for young ladies in Virginia. She married Samuel Matthews Vauclain Hamilton Sr. in 1950. She has three children, nine grandchildren and five great grandchildren. The family still holds a large percentage of the outstanding shares of Campbell stock. Hamilton’s husband Samuel M.V. Hamilton died in 1997. In 1998 Hamilton founded the SVF Foundation and she was a partner in 41º North.
