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This list of the most wealthy historical figures is based on research done around the world by Forbes magazine in 2006 and other sources of information, and has been adjusted for 2006 and 2007 USD dollars. This list is based on the historical characters of which where in either the Industrial age, Information Age or no age at all and are solely based on their net worth accumulated by inheritance or personal earnings. The ranking process is done by the percentage of the total GDP of which is of the nation they live in the estimated net worth of these people is calculated into inflation adjusted 2006 and 2007 dollars, from when historical figures were at the peak of their net worth. In order to be inflation adjusted for 2006 and 2007 dollars, the bearer of wealth at time of death or at highest point must be at least 17 years ago. For last year's figures, go to Wealthy Historical Figures 2006. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
| # |
Name |
Age when at peak of earnings, or in 2006 for living people |
Current age, or age at death |
Wealth in billion US$ |
Origin |
Current residence |
Company |
Image |
| 1. |
John D. Rockefeller |
97 |
97 |
257.6 |
United States |
United States |
Standard Oil |
 |
| 2. |
Henry Ford |
57 |
83 |
179.3 |
United States |
United States |
Ford Motor Company |
 |
| 3. |
Cornelius Vanderbilt |
82 |
82 |
159.5 |
United States |
United States |
New York Central Railroad, shipping |
 |
| 4. |
Andrew Carnegie |
75 |
83 |
127.3 |
Scotland |
United States |
Carnegie Steel Company |
 |
| 5. |
H. L. Hunt |
75 |
85 |
122.0 |
United States |
United States |
Hunt Refining Company |
|
| 6. |
John Jacob Astor |
84 |
84 |
109.5 |
Germany |
United States |
American Fur Company |
 |
| 7. |
Stephen Girard |
81 |
81 |
100.9 |
France |
United States |
First Bank of the United States |
 |
| 8. |
Bill Gates |
44 |
52 |
100.0 |
United States |
United States |
Microsoft |
 |
| 9. |
Walton family |
- |
- |
87.5 |
United States |
United States |
Wal-Mart |
| 10. |
Stephen Van Rensselaer |
81 |
81 |
84.7 |
United States |
United States |
Rensselaerswyck Estate |
 |
| 11. |
Frederick Weyerhaeuser |
80 |
80 |
76.7 |
Germany |
United States |
Weyerhaeuser Corporation |
| 12. |
Carlos Slim Helú |
67 |
67 |
70.6 |
Mexico |
Mexico |
Telmex |
 |
| 13. |
Alexander Turney Stewart |
72 |
72 |
64.2 |
Ireland |
United States |
Long Island Rail Road |
| 14. |
Jay Gould |
56 |
56 |
64.0 |
Ireland |
United States |
Union Pacific |
 |
| 15. |
Marshall Field |
74 |
74 |
63.2 |
United States |
United States |
Marshall Field and Company |
 |
| 16. |
Lawrence Joseph Ellison |
55 |
61 |
57.9 |
United States |
United States |
Oracle Corporation |
| 17. |
Hetty Green |
71 |
71 |
56.1 |
United States |
United States |
Seaboard National Bank |
 |
| 18. |
Sam Walton |
74 |
74 |
53.0 |
United States |
United States |
Wal-Mart |
|
| 19. |
Warren Buffett |
76 |
77 |
52.4 |
United States |
United States |
Berkshire Hathaway |
 |
| 20. |
Andrew Mellon |
80 |
82 |
50.9 |
United States |
United States |
Gulf Oil |
 |
| 21. |
Richard B. Mellon |
70 |
74 |
48.0 |
United States |
United States |
Gulf Oil |
| 22. |
James G. Fair |
63 |
63 |
45.0 |
United States |
United States |
James Graham Fair |
 |
| 23. |
William Weightman |
91 |
86 |
44.0 |
United States |
United States |
Merck & Company |
| 24. |
Moses Taylor |
76 |
76 |
44.0 |
United States |
United States |
Citibank |
| 25. |
Russell Sage |
89 |
89 |
43.0 |
United States |
United States |
Western Union |
| 26. |
John Insley Blair |
68 |
68 |
43.0 |
United States |
United States |
Union Pacific |
 |
| 27. |
Howard Robard Hughes Jr. |
45 |
70 |
41.4 |
United States |
United States |
TWA |
 |
| 28. |
Cyrus Curtis |
82 |
82 |
41.2 |
United States |
United States |
Curtis Publishing Company |
| 29. |
Paul Allen |
48 |
53 |
40.0 |
United States |
United States |
Microsoft |
| 30. |
John Werner Kluge |
70 |
92 |
40.0 |
Germany |
United States |
Metropolitan Broadcasting Company |
| 31. |
Edward Henry Harriman |
61 |
61 |
39.0 |
United States |
United States |
Western Union |
 |
| 32. |
Henry H. Rogers |
69 |
69 |
39.0 |
United States |
United States |
Standard Oil Company |
 |
| 33. |
J.P. Morgan |
76 |
76 |
38.0 |
United States |
United States |
General Electric,US Steel |
 |
| 34. |
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah |
51 |
60 |
38.0 |
Brunei |
Brunei |
Kral |
| 35. |
Oliver H. Payne |
78 |
78 |
37.0 |
United States |
United States |
Standard Oil Company |
| 36. |
Henry Frick |
68 |
70 |
36.0 |
United States |
United States |
Carnegie Steel Company |
 |
| 37. |
George Pullman |
56 |
66 |
34.0 |
United States |
United States |
Pullman Sleeper |
 |
| 38. |
Collis Potter Huntington |
70 |
79 |
33.0 |
United States |
United States |
Central Pacific Railroad |
 |
| 39. |
Ingvar Kamprad |
80 |
80 |
33.0 |
Sweden |
Switzerland |
IKEA |
 |
| 40. |
Peter Arrell Brown Widener |
71 |
71 |
32.0 |
United States |
United States |
American Tobacco Company |
| 41. |
Lakshmi Mittal |
54 |
54 |
32.0 |
India |
England |
Mittal Steel Company |
 |
| 42. |
Philip Danforth Armour |
68 |
68 |
31.9 |
United States |
United States |
Armour Refrigerator Line |
 |
| 43. |
James C. Flood |
52 |
62 |
31.0 |
United States |
United States |
Consolidated Virginia Mining Company |
| 44. |
Elias Hasket Derby |
59 |
59 |
30.0 |
United States |
United States |
Shipping |
| 45. |
Mark Hopkins |
64 |
64 |
29.5 |
United States |
United States |
Central Pacific Railroad |
 |
| 46. |
Edward Clark |
71 |
71 |
28.8 |
United States |
United States |
Singer Sewing Machine Company |
 |
| 47. |
Leland Stanford |
69 |
69 |
28.5 |
United States |
United States |
Central Pacific Railroad |
 |
| 48. |
J. Paul Getty |
83 |
83 |
27.3 |
United States |
England |
Getty Oil Company |
| 49. |
Thomas Fortune Ryan |
77 |
77 |
26.9 |
United States |
United States |
British-American Tobacco Company |
| 50. |
Theo Albrecht & Karl Albrecht |
- |
- |
26.8 |
Germany |
Germany |
Aldi |
| 51. |
William Rockefeller |
69 |
69 |
26.7 |
United States |
United States |
Standard Oil |
 |
| 52. |
Gordon Moore |
72 |
88 |
26.0 |
United States |
United States |
Intel Corporation |
 |
| 53. |
Saudi Arabian King Fahd |
75 |
83 at death |
25.0 |
Saudi Arabia |
Saudi Arabia |
King |
 |
| 54. |
Amancio Ortega |
71 |
71 |
24.0 |
Spain |
Spain |
Inditex Group |
|
| 55. |
Claus Spreckels |
59 |
59 |
23.8 |
Germany |
United States |
Spreckels Sugar Company |
 |
| 56. |
George Peabody |
74 |
74 |
23.7 |
United States |
United States |
Peabody Trust |
 |
| 57. |
Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal |
48 |
48 |
23.7 |
Saudi Arabia |
Saudi Arabian |
Kingdom Holding Company |
| 58. |
Li Ka-shing |
79 |
79 |
23.0 |
China |
China |
Hutchison Whampoa Limited |
 |
| 59. |
Karl Albrecht |
83 |
87 |
23.0 |
Germany |
Germany |
ALDI |
| 60. |
David Thomson |
50 |
50 |
22.0 |
Canada |
Canada |
Thomson Corporation |
| 61. |
Charles Crocker |
66 |
66 |
21.7 |
United States |
United States |
Central Pacific Railroad |
 |
| 62. |
William Andrews Clark |
86 |
86 |
21.6 |
United States |
United States |
Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad |
 |
| 63. |
Bernard Arnault |
57 |
57 |
21.5 |
France |
France |
LVMH |
|
| 64. |
George Eastman |
78 |
78 |
21.5 |
United States |
United States |
Eastman Kodak Company |
 |
| 65. |
Charles Tiffany |
90 |
90 |
21.4 |
United States |
United States |
Tiffany & Co |
| 66. |
Saudi Arabian King Abdullah |
82 |
82 |
21.0 |
Saudi Arabia |
Saudi Arabia |
King |
 |
| 67. |
Roman Abramovich |
40 |
40 |
21.0 |
Russia |
Russia, UK |
Millhouse Capital |
 |
| 68. |
Jim Walton |
56 |
52 |
20.8 |
United States |
United States |
Wal-Mart |
| 69. |
John Walton |
51 |
58 |
20.7 |
United States |
United States |
Wal-Mart |
| 70. |
Liliane Bettencourt |
85 |
85 |
20.7 |
France |
France |
L'Oréal |
|
| 70. |
Samuel Robson Walton |
61 |
57 |
20.6 |
United States |
United States |
Wal-Mart |
| 71. |
Edward Stephen Harkness |
66 |
66 |
20.5 |
United States |
United States |
Standard Oil |
| 72. |
Alice Walton |
54 |
50 |
20.5 |
United States |
United States |
Wal-Mart |
| 73. |
Helen Walton |
82 |
87 |
20.5 |
United States |
United States |
Wal-Mart |
| 74. |
Sheldon Adelson |
72 |
72 |
26.5 |
United States |
United States |
Las Vegas Sands |
| 75. |
Henry M. Flagler |
83 |
83 |
20.2 |
United States |
United States |
Florida East Coast Railway |
 |
| 76. |
James Buchanan Duke |
68 |
68 |
20.2 |
United States |
United States |
Catawba Power Company |
 |
| 77. |
Israel Thorndike |
87 |
87 |
19.5 |
United States |
United States |
China trade |
| 78. |
William S. O'Brien |
53 |
53 |
18.9 |
United States |
United States |
Consolidated Virginia Mining Company |
| 79. |
Isaac Merritt Singer |
63 |
63 |
18.6 |
United States |
United States |
Singer Sewing Machine Company |
 |
| 80. |
George Hearst |
70 |
70 |
18.5 |
United States |
United States |
Hearst, Haggin, Tevis and Co. |
 |
| 81. |
John Hancock |
70 |
70 |
18.4 |
United States |
United States |
Hancock Manor |
 |
| 82. |
John W. Garrett |
64 |
64 |
18.4 |
United States |
United States |
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad |
 |
| 83. |
Stefan Persson |
59 |
59 |
18.4 |
Sweden |
Sweden |
Hennes & Mauritz |
| 84. |
John William Mackay |
71 |
71 |
18.3 |
United States |
United States |
Consolidated Virginia and California |
 |
| 85. |
Anil Ambani |
48 |
48 |
18.4 |
India |
India |
Reliance Capital |
| 86. |
Julius Rosenwald |
69 |
69 |
18.1 |
United States |
United States |
Sears, Roebuck and Company |
 |
| 87. |
Theo Albrecht |
85 |
85 |
17.5 |
Germany |
Germany |
ALDI |
| 88. |
George F. Baker |
91 |
91 |
17.4 |
United States |
United States |
Central Railroad of New Jersey |
| 89. |
Michael Dell |
41 |
42 |
17.1 |
United States |
United States |
Dell, INC |
 |
| 90. |
George Washington |
67 |
67 |
16.9 |
United States |
United States |
Mount Vernon Plantation |
 |
| 91. |
Anthony N. Brady |
79 |
79 |
16.8 |
United States |
United States |
Brooklyn Rapid Transit |
| 92. |
Adolphus Busch |
77 |
77 |
16.8 |
United States |
United States |
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. |
|
| 93. |
John T. Dorrance |
67 |
67 |
16.7 |
United States |
United States |
Campbell Soup Company |
| 94. |
Sergey Brin |
34 |
33 |
16.6 |
United States |
United States |
Google |
 |
| 95. |
Larry Page |
34 |
34 |
16.6 |
United States |
United States |
Google |
 |
| 96. |
George Pullman |
66 |
66 |
15.8 |
United States |
United States |
Pullman sleeping car |
|
| 97. |
Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. |
74 |
74 |
15.2 |
United States |
United States |
Johnson & Johnson |
 |
| 98. |
Horace E. Dodge |
52 |
52 |
14.8 |
United States |
United States |
Oldsmobile Motor Company |
 |
| 99. |
John F. Dodge |
65 |
65 |
14.8 |
United States |
United States |
Oldsmobile Motor Company |
 |
| 100. |
James J. Hill |
77 |
77 |
14.0 |
United States |
United States |
Great Northern Railway |
 |
- Note 1: If the 17 year rule was not factored in this list then Sam Walton would have $110.3 Billion, Michael Dell would have a net worth $18.4 Billion, and Bill Gates would have $142.3 Billion putting him third on the list.
- Note 2: This list is based on wealth of the GDP of 2006, since their was some members not adjusted for the wealth, the wealth for 2007 is not scheduled to come out until January 2008.
[edit] References
- ^ "The Wealthiest Americans Ever", New York Times, July 15, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
- ^ "Richest Americans in History", Forbes, 1998. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
- ^ "What was the GDP then?", Eh.net, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-08-4.
- ^ "List of Wealthy 100", adherents.com, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-08-9.
- ^ "Wealthy 100", adherents.com, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-08-9.
