List of richest American politicians
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This list of richest American politicians includes current and former office-holders and political appointees, and is not necessarily adjusted for inflation. Estimated wealth is at least $100 million in 2012 dollars, for all the people listed here. The amounts listed here do not necessarily pertain to the politicians' time in office (i.e. some of them may have gotten much richer later on, or lost their money before they ran for office).
Presidents
[edit]| Name | Party | Date(s) | Estimated wealth adjusted for inflation |
Source of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump | Republican | 2017–2021 | $7.5 billion (2024)[1] | Inheritance, business, real estate |
| George Washington | Independent | 1789–1797 | $525 million (2010)[2] | Inheritance, business, marriage |
| Thomas Jefferson | Democratic-Republican | 1801–1809 | $212 million (2010)[2] | Inheritance, business |
| Theodore Roosevelt | Republican | 1901–1909 | $125 million (2010)[2] | Inheritance |
| John F. Kennedy | Democratic | 1961–1963 | $124 million (2007)[3] | Inheritance |
| Andrew Jackson | Democratic | 1829–1837 | $119 million (2010)[2] | Marriage, business, real estate |
| James Madison | Democratic-Republican | 1809–1817 | $101 million (2010)[2] | Inheritance, business |
Unsuccessful presidential candidates
[edit]| Name | Party | Position | Estimated wealth not adjusted for inflation |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doug Burgum | Republican | Governor of North Dakota (2017–incumbent) Candidate for U.S. President (2024) |
$1.1 billion[4] | Founded and Sold Great Plains Software to Microsoft |
| Vivek Ramaswamy | Republican | Candidate for U.S. President (2024) | $1 billion[5] | Founder and CEO of Roivant Sciences and Strive Asset Management[6] |
| Michael Bloomberg | Democratic (before 2001, 2018–present) Independent (2007–2018) Republican (2001–2007) |
Mayor of New York City (2002–2013) Candidate for U.S. President (2020) |
$106 billion[7] | Founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. |
| Ross Perot | Independent (before 1995) Reform (1995–2000) Republican (2000–2019) |
Member of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board (1981–85) Member of the Select Committee on Public Education (1983) Candidate for U.S. President (1992, 1996) |
$4.1 billion[8] | Founded Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems |
| Tom Steyer | Democratic | Candidate for U.S. President (2020) | $1.6 billion[9] | Founder of Farallon Capital |
| Henry Ford | Republican (before 1918) Democratic (after 1918) |
Candidate for U.S. President (1916) Candidate for U.S. Senator from Michigan (1918) |
$1.2 billion[10] | Founder of Ford Motor Company |
| Nelson Rockefeller | Republican | Governor of New York (1959–1973) Candidate for U.S. President (1960, 1964, 1968) Vice President of the United States (1974–77) |
$1 billion[11] | Inheritance, grandson of John D. Rockefeller |
| Steve Forbes | Republican | Member of the Board for International Broadcasting (1985–1993) Candidate for U.S. President (1996, 2000) |
$430 million[12] | Editor, publisher |
| Kanye West | Independent Birthday Party[13] |
Candidate for U.S. President (2020) | $1.7 billion[14] | Founder of GOOD Music, CEO of DONDA, rapper, fashion designer |
| John Delaney | Democrat | U.S. Representative from Maryland (2013–2019) Candidate for U.S. President (2020) |
$230 million[15] | Entrepreneur, co-founder of Health Care Financial Partners and CapitolSource |
| John Kerry | Democratic | U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (1985–2013) Democratic nominee for U.S. President (2004) Secretary of State (2013–2017) |
$200 million[16] | Marriage to Teresa Heinz, the widow of John Heinz, heir to the H. J. Heinz Company |
| Mitt Romney | Independent (before 1993) Republican (1993–present) |
Candidate for U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (1994) Governor of Massachusetts (2003–2007) Republican nominee for U.S. President (2012) U.S. Senator from Utah (2019–present) |
$190–250 million[17] | Former CEO of Bain Capital and Bain & Company, son of Michigan Governor George W. Romney |
| Ted Kennedy | Democratic | U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (1962–2009) Candidate for U.S. President (1980) |
$163 million[18] | Inherited stake in the Chicago Merchandise Mart |
| John Hancock | Federalist | President of the Continental Congress (1775–1777, 1785–86) Governor of Massachusetts (1780–85, 1787–93) Candidate for U.S. President (1788) |
$100 million[19] | Inherited a profitable mercantile business from his uncle |
| Al Gore | Democratic | U.S. Representative from Tennessee (1977–1985) U.S. Senator from Tennessee (1985–1993) Vice President (1993–2001) Candidate for U.S. President (1988, 2000) |
$100 million[20] | Son of attorney and Tennessee U.S. Senator Albert Gore Sr., who owned a stake in Occidental Petroleum, book and film deals |
| Hillary Clinton | Democratic (1968–present) | First Lady of the United States (1993–2001) U.S. Senator from New York (2001–2009) Candidate for U.S. President (2008, 2016) Secretary of State (2009–2013) |
$52–111 million[21] | Book deals and public speaking fees from foreign/domestic sources |
| James M. Cox | Democratic | U.S. Representative from Ohio (1909–1913) Governor of Ohio (1913–15, 1917–21) Democratic nominee for U.S. President (1920) |
$40 million (D. 1950)[22] | Founded a chain of newspapers that continues today as Cox Enterprises |
| Samuel J. Tilden | Democratic | Chair of the New York Democratic Party (1866–1874) Governor of New York (1875–1876) Democratic nominee for U.S. President (1876) |
$8.5 million (D. 1886)[23] | Law practice, investments, and inheritance of Tilden's Extract |
Other U.S. politicians
[edit]| Name | Party | Position | Net worth | Source (Notes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter J. Kohler Jr. | Republican | Governor of Wisconsin (1951–1957) Candidate for U.S. Senator from Wisconsin (1957) |
$8.8 billion[24] | Owner of Vollrath |
| Rick Caruso | Democratic | Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles (2022) | $5.3 billion[25] | Owner-founder of Caruso |
| Ronald Lauder | Republican | Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO policy (1984–1986)
Ambassador to Austria (1986–1987) |
$4.6 billion | Co-owner of Estée Lauder, owner of Central European Media Enterprises |
| J. B. Pritzker | Democratic | Governor of Illinois (2019–incumbent) | $3.5 billion[26] | Inheritance, family owns the Hyatt hotel chain |
| Penny Pritzker | Democratic | Secretary of Commerce (2013–2017) Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery (2023–incumbent) |
$2.5 billion[27] | Inheritance, family owns the Hyatt hotel chain |
| Bill Haslam | Republican | Mayor of Knoxville (2003–2011) Governor of Tennessee (2011–2019) |
$2 billion[28] | Son of Jim Haslam, founder of Pilot Corporation, and former CEO of the e-commerce and catalog division of Saks Fifth Avenue |
| Mark Dayton | Democratic | Auditor of Minnesota (1991–1995) U.S. Senator from Minnesota (2001–2007) Governor of Minnesota (2011–2019) |
$1.6 billion | Great-grandson of George Dayton, the founder of Target[29] |
| Betsy DeVos | Republican | Chair of the Michigan Republican Party (1996–2000; 2003–2005) Secretary of Education (2017–2021) |
$1.25 billion[30] | Daughter of Edgar Prince, founder of Prince Corporation; daughter-in-law of Richard DeVos, co-founder of Amway; sister of Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater |
| Jim Justice | Republican (before 2015, 2017–present) Democratic (2015–2017) |
Governor of West Virginia (2017–incumbent) | $1.2 billion[31] | Inherited ownership of Bluestone Industries and Bluestone Coal Corporation, founder of Bluestone Farms. Owner of 70 active mines in 5 states as of 2014 |
| Winthrop Paul Rockefeller | Republican | Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas (1996–2006) | 1.2 billion[32][33][34] | Member of the Rockefeller Family |
| Richard C. Blum | Democratic | First gentleman of San Francisco (1980–1988) Regent of the University of California (2002–2022) |
$1 billion[35] | President of Blum Capital |
| Linda McMahon | Republican | Candidate for U.S. Senate from Connecticut (2010; 2012) Administrator of the Small Business Administration (2017–2019) |
$938 million–1.1 billion[36] | Married to Vince McMahon, who inherited the professional wrestling business founded by his grandfather, Jess McMahon, now known as WWE |
| Herb Kohl | Democrat | U.S. Senator from Wisconsin (1989–2012) | $630 million–1.5 billion[37] | Inheritance, son of Max Kohl, founder of Kohl's; former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA |
| C. S. Mott | Republican | Mayor of Flint, Michigan (1912–1914; 1918–1919) | $800 million | Co-founder of General Motors |
| Wilbur Ross | Republican | Secretary of Commerce (2017–2021) | $600 million[38] | Founder of private equity firm WL Ross & Co |
| Kelly Loeffler | Republican | U.S. Senator from Georgia (2020–2021) | $500 million+[39] | Married to Jeffrey Sprecher, founder and CEO of Intercontinental Exchange |
| Jane Harman | Democratic | United States Representative (1993–1999; 2001–2011) | $500 million[citation needed] | Inheritance, home and car audio manufacturing corporation |
| Bruce Rauner | Republican | Governor of Illinois (2015–2019) | $500 million+ | Chairman of GTCR |
| Amo Houghton | Republican | U.S. Representative from New York (1987–2005) | $475 million[40] | Former CEO and descendant of the founder of Corning Glass Works |
| Glenn Youngkin | Republican | Governor of Virginia (2022–incumbent) | $470 million[41] | Former CEO of The Carlyle Group |
| Jared Polis | Democratic | U.S. Representative from Colorado (2009–2019) Governor of Colorado (2019–incumbent) |
$388 million[42] | Founder of ProFlowers |
| Phil Bredesen | Democratic | Mayor of Nashville (1993–1999) Governor of Tennessee (2003—2011) |
Up to $358 million | Founder of HealthAmerica Corporation |
| Rex Tillerson | Republican | Secretary of State (2017–2018) | $325 million[30] | Former CEO of ExxonMobil |
| Greg Gianforte | Republican | U.S. Representative from Montana (2017–2021) Governor of Montana (2021–incumbent) |
$315 million[43] | Founder of RightNow Technologies |
| Gina Raimondo | Democratic | General Treasurer of Rhode Island (2011–2015) Governor of Rhode Island (2015–2021) Secretary of Commerce (2021–incumbent) |
$300 million[40] | Founder of Judith Point Capital, venture capitalist, and fund development executive |
| Jon Corzine | Democratic | U.S. Senator from New Jersey (2001–2006) Governor of New Jersey (2006–2010) |
$300 million[40] | Former CEO of Goldman Sachs |
| Terry Kohler | Republican | Candidate for Governor of Wisconsin (1982) | $300 million[44] | Member of the Kohler Family |
| Steven Mnuchin | Republican | Secretary of the Treasury (2017–2021) | $300 million[30] | Former executive of Goldman Sachs |
| Michael McCaul | Republican | U.S. Representative from Texas (2005–incumbent) | $294 million[16] | Son-in-law of Lowry Mays, founder of Clear Channel Communications |
| Rick Scott | Republican | Governor of Florida (2011–2019) U.S. Senator from Florida (2019–incumbent) |
$255 million[45] | Founder of Columbia Hospital Corporation |
| Mark Warner | Democratic | Chair of the Virginia Democratic Party (1993–1995) Candidate for U.S. Senator from Virginia (1996) Governor of Virginia (2002–2006) U.S. Senator from Virginia (2009–incumbent) |
$243 million[46] | Early investor in Nextel Communications |
| Dan Goldman | Democratic | Candidate for Attorney General of New York (2022) U.S. Representative from New York (2023–incumbent) |
$253 million[47] | Heir to the Levi's fortune |
| Darrell Issa | Republican | Candidate for U.S. Senate from California (1998) U.S. Representative from California (2001–2019; 2021–incumbent) Nominee for Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (2019) |
$220 million[16] | Founder of Directed Electronics |
| Rick Snyder | Republican | Governor of Michigan (2011–2019) | $220 million | Business, venture capital/investment |
| Elizabeth Frawley Bagley | Democratic | Ambassador to Portugal (1994–1997)
Special Advisor to the Secretary of State (2010–2013; 2014–2017) Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly (2012) Ambassador to Brazil (2023–incumbent) |
$220 million | Widow of Smith Bagley, co-owner of Cellular One |
| Trudy Busch Valentine | Democratic | Candidate for U.S. Senator from Missouri (2022) | $215 million[48] | Daughter of Gussie Busch |
| Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. | Democratic | Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (1934–1935) Chair of the Maritime Commission (1937–1938) U.S. Ambassador to the UK (1938–1940) |
$200–400 million[49] | Stock investor, real estate investor, executive at Bethlehem Steel, organizer of RKO, financier of Hollywood films, owner of the distribution rights to Scotch whiskey in the United States, owner of Merchandise Mart, and President of Columbia Trust Bank |
| Oveta Culp Hobby | Democratic (before 1953)
Republican (after 1953) |
Administrator of the Federal Security Agency (1953)
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (1953–1955) |
$200 million[50] | Owner of the Houston Post |
| Gordon Sondland | Republican | Oregon State Liaison to the White House (2003–2007)
Member of the Commission on White House Fellows (2007–2010) Ambassador to the European Union (2018–2020) |
Up to $185 million[51] | Chairman of Provenance Hotels |
| Carl Paladino | Democratic (before 2005) Republican (2005–present) |
Candidate for Governor of New York (2010) Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York (2022) |
$150 million[52] | Retail real estate developer |
| Gino Campana | Republican | Fort Collins City Councillor (2013–2017) | $140.5 million[53] | Real estate developer |
| Ralph K. Davies | Democratic | Deputy Administrator of the Petroleum Administration for War (1942–1946) | $127 million | Chairman of American President Lines Standard Oil executive |
| Bernie Moreno | Republican | Candidate for Senator from Ohio (2022)
Republican nominee for Senator from Ohio (2024) |
$105.7 million[54] | Car dealerships, blockchain investments |
| Mehmet Oz | Republican | Candidate for U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania (2022) | $100–$500 million | Reality television personality |
| Arnold Schwarzenegger | Republican | Governor of California (2003–2011) | $100–$200 million[55] | Real estate, acting |
| Heidi Ganahl | Republican | Regent of the University of Colorado (2017–2023) | $100 million[56] | Founder and CEO of Camp Bow Wow |
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