The middle child of five daughters, Hearst was born in San Francisco, California, on February 20, 1954. Her father, Randolph Apperson Hearst, was chairman of the board of the Hearst Corporation--the largest privately owned media conglomerate (a business corporation made up of a number of companies) in the United States. Hearst's mother, Catherine Wood (Campbell) Hearst, was a member of the governing board of the University of California. Her position earned her a reputation as an outspoken conservative. Hearst's legendary grandfather, William Randolph Hearst Jr., amassed a fortune as the founder of the Hearst newspaper empire.

Hearst grew up on family estates in Beverly Hills and Hillsborough, California. She spent vacations at family ranches, such as Wyntoon and San Simeon. A 140-acre estate, San Simeonis the largest single piece of privately owned land on the Pacific Coast. The grounds include an enormous castle that was commissioned by Hearst's eccentric grandfather...