The Ultra Wealthy - Top 10 in U.S. History

The growth of Ultra Wealthy individuals in the U.S. has become a topic of public discussion and concern.

For Perspective, here is an historical summary of the wealthiest people since 1900. 

Net Worths are stated in Current Dollars. Doesn’t appear much different from then to now.

Historical:

John D. Rockefeller (1839–1937)                                      $400 billion                   

Source of Wealth: Oil (Standard Oil).

Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919)                                          $310 billion                    

Source of Wealth: Steel industry (Carnegie Steel)

Henry Ford (1863–1947)                                                    $200 billion  

Wealth: Automotive industry

William Henry Vanderbilt (1821–1885)                           $200 billion      

Source of Wealth: Railroads and shipping.

J.P. Morgan (1837–1913)                                                  $140 billion

Source of Wealth: Banking and finance.

Current:

Elon Musk                                                                        $260 billion

Source of Wealth: Tesla and SpaceX

Jeff Bezos                                                                           $215 billion                   Source of Wealth: Founder of Amazon

Mark Zuckerberg                                                               $209 billion               Source of Wealth: Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook)

Larry Ellison                                                                        $187 billion       Source of Wealth: Oracle Corporation

Bill Gates                                                                             $160 billion                  Source of Wealth: Microsoft

Cogport.com                                                                                                        November 1, 2024