From Houdini To A Pringles Can: Six Famous Wills With Unusual Wishes

Don’t let the intestacy rules established by the government dictate your legacy; your Will is entirely at your discretion, no matter how weird and wonderful your wishes may be. In the next instalment of our ‘Famous Estates and Lasting Legacies’ series, we explore unique bequests in famous Wills and Estates, namely those of Harry Houdini, Charles Vance Millar, Benjamin Franklin, Jeremy Bentham, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Fred Baur.

Harry Houdini’s legacies

Harry Houdini was a professional magician and was famous for completing epic escape stunts, having escaped from handcuffs, straitjackets, and even a grave in which he was buried alive.

Houdini passed away in 1926 and before his death, in 1924, Houdini wrote an incredibly detailed Will, consisting of twenty-three clauses, which he also updated with a Codicil in 1925.

Houdini notably left pecuniary legacies of $500 to his three assistants and $1,000 to the Society of American Magicians. He left a specific legacy of his magic apparatus and theatrical effects to his brother (and fellow magician) Theodore Hardeen, who continued performing after Houdini’s death. Notably, Houdini included a clause that these items should be burned after Theodore’s death to protect his professional secrets. Houdini also left a specific legacy of his book collection (which was one of the world’s largest collections of books on magic and spiritualism at the time) to the Library of Congress. One sixth of his estate went to his wife Bess, and the remaining estate was divided amongst his siblings.

Houdini’s Will being incredibly detailed and well drafted ensured that his wealth was effectively distributed in accordance with his wishes and preserved his legacy by protecting his secrets.

Charles Vance Millar and the Great Stork Derby

Charles Vance Millar was a Canadian lawyer. He died in 1926 and left behind an eccentric Will in which he left his residuary estate to the Toronto mother who gave birth to the greatest number of children during the ten years following his death; this led to a contest known as the Great Stork Derby. Despite the Will being heavily contested (as a result of encouraging childbirth for financial gain), it was deemed valid and in 1936 four Toronto women, having birthed nine children each, shared the prize equally.

Millar’s Will is an excellent example of testamentary freedom and highlights the importance of ensuring your Will is clearly drafted to prevent any potential litigation against your estate.

Benjamin Franklin’s long-term trust

Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America and was a key figure in the drafting of both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. Franklin ensured that his legacy would endure long after his death by amending his Will a year before he died to create a remarkable long-term trust. Under the terms of his Will, Franklin gifted the equivalent of £1,000 to each of his two favourite cities: Boston, where he was born, and Philadelphia, where he spent much of his adult life.

The funds were to be held on trust for 200 years. During the first 100 years, the capital was to accrue compound interest and be used to provide loans to young tradesmen starting out in business. At the end of that first century, each city was permitted to use 75% of the principal for public works, while the remaining 25% was to remain invested for a further 100 years. At the end of the full 200-year period, the cities and their respective states could use the remaining funds as they wished. By 1990, Franklin’s original gifts had grown significantly: Boston’s fund was worth approximately $4.5 million, while Philadelphia’s held around $2 million.

Franklin’s Will demonstrates the importance of lifetime planning and how a clear Will can protect a legacy, as well as create a lasting impact after death. It also shows how even small gifts in a Will can, if invested properly, have a wider lasting impact.

Jeremy Bentham’s preserved body

Jeremy Bentham was an English philosopher and the founder of modern utilitarianism, the principle that morality should be guided by “the greatest happiness for the greatest number”. Despite his radical and forward-thinking ideas during his lifetime, Bentham is perhaps now best remembered for the unusual instructions he left in his Will. He requested that his body be preserved and fashioned into what he called an “auto-icon”, a task carried out by his friend, Thomas Southwood Smith.

In 1850, Smith gave Bentham’s preserved body to University College London, believing that Bentham would have approved of the institution’s commitment to education. Bentham’s body remains there today, housed in a wooden cabinet with his skeleton dressed in his own clothes.

Bentham’s Will demonstrates that even highly unusual testamentary wishes may be implemented where they are clearly expressed in a carefully drafted Will.

Napoleon Bonaparte’s locks of hair

Napoleon Bonaparte was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and later became Emperor of France. In his Will, Napoleon gave detailed instructions that locks of his hair should be preserved and distributed among close family members and loved ones, including his mother, siblings, son and Empress Marie-Louise.

These sentimental keepsakes allowed part of Napoleon’s personal legacy to endure as both a family memento and a historical artefact, with the National Army Museum in London having one such keepsake in its collection.

Napoleon’s Will illustrates the importance of clearly communicating personal wishes. By setting out his intentions explicitly, he made it easier for his family and those responsible for administering his estate to understand and carry out his wishes.

Fred Baur and the Pringles can

Fredric John Baur was an American organic chemist and food scientist and was well known for developing and patenting the iconic Pringles can. During his lifetime, Baur joked with his family that he wanted to be buried in a Pringles can and following his death, his family discovered that he was in fact serious. His family debated which flavour Pringles can they should use before deciding on the original flavour and buried part of Baur’s cremated remains inside it, in accordance with his wishes.

Baur’s wishes are an excellent example of how beneficial it can be for your loved ones if your funeral wishes are clearly communicated. Funeral wishes are highly personal and explicitly stating these wishes in a Will provides your family with clarity and reassurance, whilst ensuring that your wishes are fulfilled.

Conclusion

Whether your Will contains outlandish or humorous legacies, or simply leaves your estate to your family, it is important that your wishes are clearly stated and your Will is legally valid, so that they are followed after your death.

The key lesson is that clarity matters. A carefully drafted and properly executed Will can help ensure that your financial, practical, and personal wishes are understood and carried out as intended. Whether you wish to support a community, preserve a personal legacy, or pass on items of sentimental value, setting out your wishes in a Will is the most effective means of protecting your legacy. Other benefits of a carefully drafted Will include avoidance of litigation, and reassurance for family members.