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How did William Makepeace Thackeray lose his inheritance?
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William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray, detail of an oil painting by Samuel Laurence; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Upon coming of age in 1832, William Makepeace Thackeray inherited £20,000 from his father. He subsequently lost this fortune due to a combination of gambling and unsuccessful financial speculations and investments.1