List of richest Americans in history
A caricature of John D. Rockefeller published in Puck in 1901
In the 1996 book The Wealthy 100, authors Michael Klepper and Robert Gunther placed John D. Rockefeller atop the list of the richest Americans in history, followed by Cornelius Vanderbilt and John Jacob Astor.[1][2] Bill Gates was the top living person, coming in fifth.
Business Insider agreed on Rockefeller in first, but placed Andrew Carnegie second, followed by Vanderbilt and Gates.[3]
By half decade
| Year | Name | Picture |
|---|---|---|
| 1775 | ||
| 1780 | ||
| 1785 | Benjamin Franklin | |
| 1790 | John Hancock | |
| 1795 | Elias Hasket Derby |  |
| 1800 | ||
| 1805 | ||
| 1810 | ||
| 1815 | ||
| 1820 | Stephen Girard |  |
| 1825 | ||
| 1830 | ||
| 1835 | Stephen Van Rensselaer | |
| 1840 | John Jacob Astor |  |
| 1845 | ||
| 1850 | ||
| 1855 | ||
| 1860 | ||
| 1865 | ||
| 1870 | Cornelius Vanderbilt |  |
| 1875 | ||
| 1880 | William Henry Vanderbilt |  |
| 1885 | ||
| 1890 | ||
| 1895 | ||
| 1900 | Andrew Carnegie |  |
| 1905 | ||
| 1910 | John D. Rockefeller |  |
| 1915 | ||
| 1920 | Henry Ford |  |
| 1925 | ||
| 1930 | Andrew Mellon |  |
| 1935 | ||
| 1940 | ||
| 1945 | ||
| 1950 | ||
| 1955 | J. Paul Getty | |
| 1960 | Howard Hughes | |
| 1965 | ||
| 1970 | ||
| 1975 | ||
| 1980 | Daniel Ludwig | |
| 1985 | Sam Walton |  |
| 1990 | John Werner Kluge | |
| 1995 | Bill Gates |  |
| 2000 | ||
| 2005 | ||
| 2010 |
References
- ↑ "The Wealthiest Americans Ever". The New York Times. July 15, 2007.
- ↑ "Richest Americans in History". Forbes. August 24, 1998. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
- ↑ Gus Lubin (April 17, 2011). "The 13 Richest Americans Of All Time". Business Insider.
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