The story of a real Cinderella: How the maid Basia Pyasetska became the owner of billions and Johnson's company

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The story of this girl is similar to the tale of Cinderella, who met her prince at the ball. True, by her 34 years old, Basya Pyasetska had never been to the ball, and she could only watch the ladies dressed in furs and jewelry through the open door of the front hall. However, it was enough for a shy maid to just say the right phrase in the right place just once, in order to later change the uniform of a servant to a business suit, and then become the owner of a huge fortune.

For the American dream

She was born in Stanowitz, not far from the Polish city of Grodno at that time (today it is the territory of Belarus). After leaving school, Basia Piasecka entered the University of Wroclaw. She defended her master's thesis in art history, she never saw prospects for further work in Poland.

In 1968, Basia Pyasetska went overseas in search of a better life. She hid her own diploma away, because she understood that at first in the USA she would definitely not need it. However, she was quite prepared for the fact that she was to serve as far from an expert in the field of art. She was not afraid of work and was ready to do much to finally end her beggarly existence. Basia did not know English, and her entire fortune was $ 100, which she managed to save.

Surely, she was born under a lucky star, because soon after the move she was accepted into the home of John Seward Johnson, the son of Robert Wood Johnson I, one of the founders of Johnson & Johnson. The girl, who knew hardly a few phrases in English, hired Esther Underwood as the maid of Johnson's wife. But soon Basia Pyasetska was able to increase her personal rating in the eyes of the owner of the house.

From maids to wives

She hardly spoke at the employer's house and just worked hard. But once the knowledge she received at the university simply did not allow her to remain silent.

John Seward Johnson acquired another painting for his collection and proudly showed it to everyone. But Basya, who by that time already spoke a little English, suddenly informed Mr. Johnson that he had clearly overpaid for this work of art. When the owner demanded an explanation, the inconspicuous maid was able to surprise the millionaire indescribably. She used all her knowledge and was able, using only facts and dates, to prove that the acquired painting was not written by the master himself, but only by his student.

When it was revealed that the inconspicuous maid had a master's degree in art history, John Seward Johnson appointed Basia as his art consultant and since then never bought paintings without consulting his assistant.

Very soon, the business relationship between the employer and his charming assistant grew into a love affair. Basia Pyasetska appeared in the house just eight months ago, and Johnson had already rented an apartment especially for her and began divorce proceedings with his wife. In 1971, John Seward Johnson and Barbara (Basya) Pyasetska were legally married. Only eight days have passed since the groom's divorce from his previous wife.

Cinderella who became a princess

At the time of marriage, Basia was 34 years old, and her husband was already 76 years old. They deliberately did not invite any of Johnson's six children to the wedding.

After the marriage, Barbara's life changed dramatically. She stoically listened to her husband's long tirades about extraterrestrial civilizations or about his desire to be buried on a yacht in the ocean, never burst out, just nodded her head in agreement. She was always restrained and calm, always friendly, invariably benevolent. In gratitude for the meek disposition and care for her husband, Basia Pyasetska-Johnson got the opportunity to spend her husband's money at her own discretion.

She did not limit herself in spending. Soon, new cars began to appear in their garage, suddenly a personal island, real estate in Italy and Florida and an incredibly expensive estate in New Jersey, named for America very exotic: Yasnaya Polyana, appeared in their possession.

But her biggest passion was antiques and art, which Barbara Johnson was well versed in. For 11 years, lived with her husband, Barbara Johnson managed to acquire a chic collection, which included paintings by masters of the past, antique furniture, including the secretary of Louis XVI himself and Raphael's charcoal drawing. Experts already during the life of John Seward Johnson estimated the collection of his wife at one hundred million dollars.

Unfortunately, all the expensive antiques and paintings inside the Johnson house looked completely inharmonious: antique statues were placed around the pool, and everything around just shimmered from gold and silver decor elements.

On the territory of their estate "Yasnaya Polyana" a shelter was built in case of the Third World War, there were separate buildings with a specially designed heating system: a house for dogs and a greenhouse for orchids. Later it turns out that Barbara spent more than the Queen of Great Britain in a year, but she herself cared very little.

The main thing is that the husband did not deny her anything and enjoyed her blooming appearance and meek disposition. She skillfully managed the house, hired her former compatriots as a servant, sometimes donated to charity and even was able to reconcile her husband with his offspring.

In recent years, the health of John Seward Johnson has been very shaken, he was diagnosed with many diseases, including cancer. Where this data came from is unknown, but there were persistent rumors that at the moment when John Seward Johnson was already dying, and numerous doctors tried to revive him over and over again, his wife in the next room was calmly looking through the new Sotheby's catalog.

However, these rumors could have arisen thanks to the children of Johnson, who felt insulted in the best feelings upon learning of their father's decision to leave them without an inheritance. John Seward Johnson bequeathed his entire fortune of almost half a billion dollars to Basha.

After the announcement of the will, long litigation followed, as a result of which many hard-hitting facts about the Johnson family were exposed to the public. As a result, Basia Pyasetska was left with an amount of $ 350 million, having paid a certain amount to her husband's heirs, paying legal costs, the work of lawyers and inheritance tax.

Later, Barbara increased her fortune several times and in 2007 entered the Forbes list, taking the 149th place among the richest people on the planet. In recent years, she has lived in Monaco, opening a country club in the once beloved Yasnaya Polyana estate.

Barbara Piasecka died on April 1, 2013 in Poland, her native country, from where she once left in search of happiness.

History knows many examples of how ordinary girls achieve success and position in society. Recently, they started talking about the oriental beauty, which Dior himself called a talisman that brought him good luck. She has worked in his fashion house almost since its inception, invariably decorating fashion shows and inspiring the couturier to create new collections. Alla Ilchun, a girl with Kazakh roots, has gone from a simple dishwasher to a catwalk star.