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  1. List of richest Americans in history - Wikipedia

    • Many sources cite John D. Rockefeller (1839–1937) as the richest person in the history of the United States, however this result comes not from adjusting his wealth for inflation, but by comparing his wealth to the size of the American economy at that time. See more

    Overview

    Comparing wealth of individuals across large spans of time is difficult, as the value of of money and assets is heavily … See more

    Fortune's wealthiest Americans (1957)

    In 1957, Fortune magazine developed a list of the seventy-six wealthiest Americans, which was published in many American newspapers. Jean Paul Getty, when asked his reaction to being named wealthiest American a… See more

    Klepper and Gunther (1996)

    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. Bill Gates was … See more

    American Heritage (1998)

    American Heritage magazine published the following list of 40 richest Americans ever in 1998, subtitling it "Surprise: Only three of them are alive today". The list was compiled by taking each person's wealth at death, addi… See more

    Bernstein and Swan (2008)

    Bernstein and Swan in All the Money in the World (2008) mention the 15 richest Americans in history.
    1. John D. Rockefeller
    2. Andrew Carnegie
    3. Cornelius VanderbiltSee more

     
  1. America's Gilded Age: Robber Barons and Captains of Industry

      online.maryville.edu/business-degrees/americas-gil…
      Most sources list Andrew Carnegie, but others say Gates, Cornelius Vanderbilt I, John Jacob Astor IV, or Henry Ford. Lower ranks are a matter of even bigger debate. Vanderbilt left a fortune worth $100 million upon his death in 1870 ($2,300,000,000 today).
      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_richest_Americans_in…

      From Rockefeller to Ford, See Forbes' 1918 Ranking Of The Richest People In America

      • 1. John D. Rockefeller (1839–1937) Oil Net worth in 1918: $1.2 BIL Net worth in 2017: $21 BIL ...
      www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2017/09/19/th…
    • 10 Richest Americans in the 1800s - Exploring-USA

    • Ten wealthiest men in U.S. during the Gilded Age from …

      Sep 14, 2007 · To this day, they remain some of the wealthiest people in American history - when the historical fortunes are adjusted to 2006 U.S. dollars, the current fortunes of today's richest U.S. residents...

    • How Robber Barons Flaunted Their Money During the …

      Jan 24, 2022 · Among the richest of the rich were the so-called robber barons, whose extreme avarice drove them to use unethical business practices and exploit workers to create lucrative monopolies, and...

    • The Richest Person Every Decade From 1820 to the …

      Apr 8, 2020 · For instance, the richest man of the 1820s had a net worth of $7.5 million. Of course today, that is equivalent to $182.2 million, but that's still a far cry from the more than $100 billion net...

    • From Rockefeller to Ford, See Forbes' 1918 Ranking Of …

      Sep 19, 2017 · The first-ever Forbes rich list, compiled by B.C. himself, surveyed "the foremost bankers in the country" to find America's 30 greatest fortunes — staggering sums, even by today's standards.* 1....

    • 1. John D. Rockefeller - The richest Americans in history …

      Jun 1, 2014 · Rockefeller made his fortune by revolutionizing the oil industry. Before his time, lamp oil was unpredictable. But he figured out a way to standardize the quality, and Standard Oil was born....

    • The greatest tycoons of the 19th century - Gentleman's …

      Here are the greatest, most formidable tycoons of the 19th century. One of the richest men who ever lived, Cornelius Vanderbilt or ‘The Commodore’ was a magnate and philanthropist who earned his wealth through shipping and …

    • America's Oldest Billion-Dollar Family Fortunes - Forbes

      Jul 1, 2015 · A glimpse into the lives of the richest, most prolific families in America, and how they built—and sustained—their empires. Some storied fortunes haven't survived.

    • 11 Outlandish Ways Aristocrats Displayed Their Wealth …

      Jun 30, 2015 · Here are some ludicrous ways the one percent of the turn of the 20 th century spent their money—because, well, they could. 1. Buying entire villages and rerouting trains. In the late 1800s, John...