Virtually all sources agree on John D. Rockefeller Sr. being the richest American in history.
Contents
- Klepper Gunther 1996
- American Heritage 1998
- CNN Money
- Forbes 1998
- Business Insider
- Bernstein Swan 2008
- By half decade
- References
The second place is disputed, held by Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, John Jacob Astor, Bill Gates or Henry Ford depending on the source; most sources agree on Carnegie. Further places are a matter of even bigger debate.
Given the steady economic rise of the United States since its founding, and it becoming the foremost economic power in the world in the late 19th century, the richest Americans were often the wealthiest people worldwide at the same time.
Klepper & 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 the top living person, coming in fifth.
American Heritage 1998
American Heritage (magazine) published a list of 40 richest Americans ever in 1998. It is available here.
CNN Money
1. John D. Rockfeller
2. Cornelius Vanderbilt
3. John Jacob Astor
4. Stephen Girard
5. Richard Mellon
6. Andrew Carnegie
7. Stephen Van Rensselaer
8. A.T. Stewart
9. Frederick Weyerhäuser
10. Jay Gould
11. Marshall Field
12. Bill Gates
13. Henry Ford
14. Warren Buffett
15. J.P. Morgan
16. Sam Walton
17. Moses Taylor
18. Russell Sage
19. James G. Fair
20. William Weightman
Forbes (1998)
Forbes listed the richest Americans of all time in 1998.
Business Insider
Business Insider agreed on Rockefeller in first, but placed Andrew Carnegie second, followed by Vanderbilt, and Gates.
1. John D. Rockefeller
2. Andrew Carnegie
3. Cornelius Vanderbilt
4. Bill Gates
5. John Jacob Astor
6. Stephen Girard
7. A.T. Stewart
8. Frederick Weyerhäuser
9. Jay Gould
10. Stephen Van Rensselaer
11. Marshall Field
12. Sam Walton
13. Warren Buffett
Bernstein & Swan 2008
Bernstein and Swan in All the Money in the World (2008) mention the 15 richest Americans of all time.
1. John D. Rockefeller
2. Andrew Carnegie
3. Cornelius Vanderbilt
4. John Jacob Astor
5. Stephen Girard
6. Richard B. Mellon
7. A.T. Stewart
8. Frederick Weyerhäuser
9. Marshall Field
10. Sam Walton
11. Jay Gould
12. Henry Ford
13. Bill Gates
14. Andrew W. Mellon
15. Warren Buffett
By half decade
This list names the richest American by half decade starting in 1770.