Mildred Mottahedeh
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Mildred R. Mottahedeh (born on August 7, 1908) was one of the most important figures in the luxury goods world until her passing on February 17, 2000. During her lifetime she amassed the largest privately held collection of Chinese export porcelain in the world, which was catalogued in the book China For The West by David Howard. Her company, Mottahedeh & Company, was the number one maker of luxury porcelain in the U.S. market for many years, and her designs graced the tables of places such as the White House, three Presidential Inaugurations, and the State Department.[citation needed]
While she amassed enormous wealth during her lifetime, including one of the largest estates in Connecticut during the 1950s and 1960s, she gave nearly all her wealth away during her lifetime by establishing charities such as the Mottahedeh Development Services, building over 10 schools in Uganda, and many other endeavors. Her company, while no longer owned by the Mottahedeh family, continues to make luxury porcelain that can be purchased at fine stores such as Neiman Marcus or from its website at Mottahedeh Website.[citation needed]
Her devotion to the Bahá'í Faith was also quite profound, and she was a long serving member of the International Baha’i Council and representative of the Baha’i community to the United Nations.
Mildred Mottahedeh's son, Roy Mottahedeh, is a renowned historian of the medieval Near East and recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship who teaches at Harvard University.
