Richest Men Of All Time

John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) 

$1,400,000,000

1.54%

$222,397,560,00

Rockefeller's rags to riches life, from humble childhood home to america's first billionaire was based on his ownership of standard oil. 'As rich as Rockefeller' became a byword for vast wealth.

Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877)

$105,000,000

1.15%

$166,076,100,000

Once American's richest man.Vanderbilt was a steamship and railroad owner who captalized on the growth in US transport and trade.

John Jacob Astor (1763-1848)

$20,000,000

0.93%

$134,305,020,000

America's first multi-millionaire, Astor began amassing his fortune trading furs, later diversifying into land ownership in Newyork

Bill Gates (B.1995)

$101,000,000,000

0.92%

$132,860,880,000

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates assets peaked at $101 billion in 1999.He has since become the world's most generous philanthropist

Stephen Girard (1750-1831)

$7,500,000

0.67%

$96,757,380,000

At the time of his death French-born philadeiphia banker and philanthropist girard was the wealthiest man in america.

Andrew Carnegie(1835-1919)

$475,000,000

0.60%

$86,648,400,000

Scots-born Carnegie's wealth came from steel.He donated vast sums to educational institutions, libraries and other charitable projects,

Alexander Turney Stewart (1803-76)

$50,000,000

0.56%

$80,871,840,000

Department stores and mail order to serve a burgeoning US market established the fortune of Irish-Born entrepreneur Stewart

Frederick Weyerhauser (1834-1914) 

$200,000,000

0.25%

$79,427,700,000

German Born Weyerhauser acquired forests and developed the world,s largest logging business during the 19th century consruction boom.

Jay Gould(1836-1892)

 

$77,000,000

0.54%

$77,983,560,000

The son of a farmer Gould was a ruthless businessman whi amassed a fortune speculating in the expansion of Americas railroads

Stephen Van Rensselaer(1764-1839)

$10,000,000

0.52%
$75,095,280,000

One of america's biggest landowners,Van Renssealaer inherited a Ductch colonail estate of some million acres of Newyork