A few of the earliest U.S. presidents have been additionally the wealthiest once they entered workplace. Within the fashionable period, presidents traditionally have amassed most of their wealth by means of media offers and look charges after leaving workplace.
Former President Donald Trump is among the many wealthiest Individuals ever to function president of the USA, with an estimated total web price of $3.7 billion on the time of his inauguration in 2016, in response to Forbes. However he is an outlier, in response to presidential historian Barbara A. Perry, who famous that the majority “presidents after the Civil Battle weren’t rich enterprise individuals — they did not come from cash.”
As examples, she pointed to Invoice Clinton, the forty second president, and Barack Obama (No. 44,) neither of whom got here from cash or had a lot private wealth once they entered workplace.
“They got here from nothing. They don’t seem to be elite,” she instructed CBS MoneyWatch. “They made their very own approach on this planet by means of scholarly prowess and got here to the White Home with little or no of their pockets when it comes to cash.” Every has made tens of thousands and thousands since leaving workplace, nonetheless.
Right here is how the richest former U.S. presidents rank when it comes to their peak private wealth, in response to a 2023 report from 24/7 Wall St. The report calculates former presidents’ particular person web price based mostly on their incomes, actual property holdings, spouses’ wealth and inheritances. All figures are adjusted for inflation.
Richest U.S. presidents ever
1. Donald J. Trump ($3.7 billion)
Former President Trump’s present web price is even larger as we speak, pegged at $5.5 billion, in response to Forbes. It includes his earnings by means of actual property investments and holdings, plus his stake in Trump Media & Know-how Group, which has skilled some wild swings in its market worth this month.
2. John F. Kennedy ($1.3 billion)
Most of Kennedy’s wealth was inherited, presidential historian Douglas Brinkley instructed CBS MoneyWatch. His father, Joe, made a big fortune as an investor.
3. George Washington ($708.5 million)
Like many early presidents, George Washington was a rich land proprietor. “Our first president was wealthy, he owned a variety of actual property,” Brinkley mentioned. “In his day, George Washington was exceedingly rich,” he added.
Different traits additionally set the nation’s founder aside, in response to Perry. “In Washington’s case, he was very astute about farming and rotating his crops. He grew tobacco and corn, and used corn to make whiskey, which is the place a variety of his wealth got here from,” she mentioned.
4. Thomas Jefferson ($285.8 million)
Thomas Jefferson’s wealth was inherited by means of land from his father.
5. Theodore Roosevelt ($168.6 million)
Theodore Roosevelt additionally got here from a rich household, and inherited cash.
6. Andrew Jackson ($160.1 million)
Andrew Jackson was a rich plantation proprietor. Slavery was the first supply of the seventh president’s private wealth, in response to the White Home Historic Affiliation.
7. James Madison ($136.7 million)
James Madison was born to rich, plantation-owning dad and mom.
8. Lyndon B. Johnson ($131.9 million)
The principle supply of Lyndon B. Johnson’s wealth got here from his spouse, Woman Chicken Johnson’s household, who owned a tv and radio station enterprise.
9. Herbert Hoover ($100.1 million)
Herbert Hoover grew to become a multimillionaire by means of his possession of Burmese silver mines, and by incomes royalties from gross sales of a textbook on mining engineering, in response to the Miller Center at College of Virginia.
10. Invoice Clinton ($91.6 million)
Invoice Clinton grew to become rich upon leaving The White Home in 2001, on the finish of his second time period.
“Invoice Clinton got here from nothing, and did not make some huge cash in workplace,” Brinkley mentioned. “He did not personal a residence for his eight years as president,” Brinkley mentioned. “The windfall got here ex-presidency.”
