Wealthy historical figures 2006

The list of the most wealthy historical figures is based on research done around the world by Forbes magazine in 2006 and other sources of information. This list is based on the historical characters of which where in either the Industrial age, Information Age or no age at all and are solely based on their net worth accumulated by inheritance or personal earnings. The ranking process is done by the percentage of the total GDP of which is of the nation they live in the estimated net worth of these people is calculated into inflation adjusted 2006 dollars, from when historical figures were at the peak of their net worth. In order to be inflation adjusted for 2006 dollars, the bearer of wealth at time of death or at highest point must be at least 17 years ago. Please note that these are the figures for 2006, for the 2007 adjusted list go to List of the Most Wealthy Historical Figures 2007.

#

Name

Age when at peak of earnings, or in 2006 for living people

Current age, or age at death

Wealth in billion US$

Origin

Current residence

Company

Image

1.

John D. Rockefeller

97

97

189.7

United States

United States

Standard Oil
John_D._Rockefeller_1885.jpg

2.

Cornelius Vanderbilt

82

82

150.6

United States

United States

New York Central Railroad, shipping
Vanderbilt.jpg

3.

Henry Ford

57

83

140.9

United States

United States

Ford Motor Company
Henry_Ford.jpg

4.

H. L. Hunt

75

85

122.0

United States

United States

Hunt Refining Company

5.

Andrew Carnegie

75

83

120.0

Scotland

United States

Carnegie Steel Company
Andrew_Carnegie,_three-quarter_length_portrait,_seated,_facing_slightly_left,_1913.jpg

6.

John Jacob Astor

84

84

103.4

Germany

United States

American Fur Company
John_Jacob_Astor.jpg

7.

Bill Gates

44

51

100.0

United States

United States

Microsoft
Billgates.jpg

8.

Stephen Girard

81

81

95.1

France

United States

First Bank of the United States
Stephen_Girard.jpg

9.

Walton family

-

-

82.5

United States

United States

Wal-Mart

10.

Stephen Van Rensselaer

81

81

79.9

United States

United States

Rensselaerswyck Estate

11.

Frederick Weyerhaeuser

80

80

72.3

Germany

United States

Weyerhaeuser Corporation

12.

Carlos Slim Helú

67

67

70.6

Mexico

Mexico

Telmex
Carlos_Slim_Helu.jpg

13.

Alexander Turney Stewart

72

72

60.5

Ireland

United States

Long Island Rail Road

14.

Jay Gould

56

56

60.3

Ireland

United States

Union Pacific
Jaygould2.jpe

15.

Marshall Field

74

74

59.6

United States

United States

Marshall Field and Company
MarshallFieldFounder.jpg

16.

Lawrence Joseph Ellison

55

61

58.0

United States

United States

Oracle Corporation

17.

Sam Walton

76

76

53.0

United States

United States

Wal-Mart
Samwalton.jpg

18.

Hetty Green

71

71

52.9

United States

United States

Seaboard National Bank
Henrietta_Green.jpeg

19.

Warren Buffett

76

76

52.4

United States

United States

Berkshire Hathaway

20.

Andrew Mellon

82

80

48.0

United States

United States

Gulf Oil
AWMellon.jpg

21.

Richard B. Mellon

74

70

48.0

United States

United States

Gulf Oil

22.

James G. Fair

63

63

45.0

United States

United States

James Graham Fair
James_Graham_Fair_-_Brady-Handy.jpg

23.

William Weightman

91

86

44.0

United States

United States

Merck & Company

24.

Moses Taylor

76

76

44.0

United States

United States

Citibank

25.

Russell Sage

89

89

43.0

United States

United States

Western Union

26.

John Blair

68

68

43.0

United States

United States

Union Pacific
John_Insley_Blair.jpg

27.

Howard Robard Hughes Jr.

45

70

41.4

United States

United States

TWA
Howard_Hughes.jpg

28.

Cyrus Curtis

82

82

41.2

United States

United States

Curtis Publishing Company

29.

Paul Allen

48

53

40.0

United States

United States

Microsoft

30.

John Werner Kluge

70

92

40.0

Germany

United States

Metropolitan Broadcasting Company

31.

Edward Henry Harriman

61

61

39.0

United States

United States

Western Union
Edward_Henry_Harriman_1899.jpg

32.

Henry H. Rogers

69

69

39.0

United States

United States

Standard Oil Company
Henry_h_rogers_bw_portrait.jpg

33.

J.P. Morgan

76

76

38.0

United States

United States

General Electric,US Steel
JohnPierpontMorgan.jpg

34.

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah

51

60

38.0

Brunei

Brunei

Kral

35.

Oliver H. Payne

78

78

37.0

United States

United States

Standard Oil Company

36.

Henry Frick

68

70

36.0

United States

United States

Carnegie Steel Company
Henry_Clay_Frick.jpg

37.

George Pullman

56

66

34.0

United States

United States

Pullman Sleeper
Gpullman.jpg

38.

Collis Potter Huntington

70

79

33.0

United States

United States

Central Pacific Railroald
Collis_Huntington.jpg

39.

Ingvar Kamprad

80

80

33.0

Sweden

Switzerland

IKEA
Ingvar_Kamprad.jpg

40.

Peter Arrell Brown Widener

71

71

32.0

United States

United States

American Tobacco Company

41.

Lakshmi Mittal

54

54

32.0

India

England

Mittal Steel Company
Lakshmimittal22082006.jpg

42.

Philip Danforth Armour

68

68

31.9

United States

United States

Armour Refrigerator Line
Philip_D_Armour_in_the_1880s.jpg

43.

James C. Flood

52

62

31.0

United States

United States

Consolidated Virginia Mining Company

44.

Elias Hasket Derby

59

59

30.0

United States

United States

Shipping

45.

Mark Hopkins

64

64

29.5

United States

United States

Central Pacific Railroad
Mark_Hopkins_1813-1878.jpg

46.

Edward Clark

71

71

28.8

United States

United States

Singer Sewing Machine Company
Edward_Clark_1850.jpg

47.

Leland Stanford

69

69

28.5

United States

United States

Central Pacific Railroad
LelandStanford.jpg

48.

J. Paul Getty

83

83

27.3

United States

England

Getty Oil Company

49.

Thomas Fortune Ryan

77

77

26.9

United States

United States

British-American Tobacco Company

50.

Theo Albrecht & Karl Albrecht

-

-

26.8

Germany

Germany

Aldi

51.

William Rockefeller

69

69

26.7

United States

United States

Standard Oil
WilliamRockefeller.jpg

52.

Gordon Moore

72

88

26.0

United States

United States

Intel Corporation
Gordon_Moore.jpg

53.

Saudi Arabian King Fahd

75

83 at death

25.0

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

King
Fahd_bin_Abdul_Aziz.jpg

54.

Amancio Ortega

71

71

24.0

Spain

Spain

Inditex Group

55.

Claus Spreckels

59

59

23.8

Germany

United States

Spreckels Sugar Company
Clausspreckles.jpg

56.

George Peabody

74

74

23.7

United States

United States

Peabody Trust
Peabodyg.png

57.

Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal

48

48

23.7

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabian

Kingdom Holding Company

58.

Li Ka-shing

79

79

23.0

China

China

Hutchison Whampoa Limited
Likashing01.jpg

59.

Karl Albrecht

83

87

23.0

Germany

Germany

ALDI

60.

David Thomson

50

50

22.0

Canada

Canada

Thomson Corporation

61.

Charles Crocker

66

66

21.7

United States

United States

Central Pacific Railroad
Ccrocker.jpg

62.

William Andrews Clark

86

86

21.6

United States

United States

Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad
Waclark.jpg

63.

Bernard Arnault

57

57

21.5

France

France

LVMH

64.

George Eastman

78

78

21.5

United States

United States

Eastman Kodak Company
George_Eastman_stamp.JPG

65.

Charles Tiffany

90

90

21.4

United States

United States

Tiffany & Co

66.

Saudi Arabian King Abdullah

82

82

21.0

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

King
Abdullah_of_Saudi_Arabia.jpg

67.

Roman Abramovich

40

40

21.0

Russia

Russia, UK

Millhouse Capital
Roman_Abramovich_2.jpg

68.

Jim Walton

56

52

20.8

United States

United States

Wal-Mart

69.

John Walton

51

58

20.7

United States

United States

Wal-Mart

70.

Liliane Bettencourt

85

85

20.7

France

France

L'Oréal

70.

Samuel Robson Walton

61

57

20.6

United States

United States

Wal-Mart

71.

Edward Stephen Harkness

66

66

20.5

United States

United States

Standard Oil

72.

Alice Walton

54

50

20.5

United States

United States

Wal-Mart

73.

Helen Walton

82

87

20.5

United States

United States

Wal-Mart

74.

Sheldon Adelson

72

72

20.5

United States

United States

Las Vegas Sands

75.

Henry M. Flagler

83

83

20.2

United States

United States

Florida East Coast Railway
HenryFlagler.jpg

76.

James Buchanan Duke

68

68

20.2

United States

United States

Catawba Power Company
BuckDuke.jpg

77.

Israel Thorndike

87

87

19.5

United States

United States

China trade

78.

William S. O'Brien

53

53

18.9

United States

United States

Consolidated Virginia Mining Company

79.

Isaac Merritt Singer

63

63

18.6

United States

United States

Singer Sewing Machine Company
IMSinger.jpg

80.

George Hearst

70

70

18.5

United States

United States

Hearst, Haggin, Tevis and Co
George_Hearst.jpg

81.

John Hancock

70

70

18.4

United States

United States

Hancock Manor
JohnHancockSmall.jpeg

82.

John W. Garrett

64

64

18.4

United States

United States

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
John_W._Garrett.jpg

83.

Stefan Persson

59

59

18.4

Sweden

Sweden

Hennes & Mauritz

84.

John William Mackay

71

71

18.3

United States

United States

Consolidated Virginia and California
John_William_Mackay.jpg

85.

Anil Ambani

48

48

18.4

India

India

Reliance Capital

86.

Julius Rosenwald

69

69

18.1

United States

United States

Sears, Roebuck and Company
Julius_rosenwald.jpg

87.

Theo Albrecht

85

85

17.5

Germany

Germany

ALDI

88.

George F. Baker

91

91

17.4

United States

United States

Central Railroad of New Jersey

89.

Michael Dell

41

42

17.1

United States

United States

Dell, INC
Michael_Dell,_square_crop.jpg

90.

George Washington

67

67

16.9

United States

United States

Mount Vernon Plantation
George-Washington.jpg

91.

Anthony N. Brady

79

79

16.8

United States

United States

Brooklyn Rapid Transit

92.

Adolphus Busch

77

77

16.8

United States

United States

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
Adolphus_Busch.jpg

93.

John T. Dorrance

67

67

16.7

United States

United States

Campbell Soup Company

94.

Sergey Brin

34

33

16.6

United States

United States

Google
Sergey_Brin,_Web_2.0_Conference.jpg

95.

Larry Page

34

34

16.6

United States

United States

Google
Larry_Page.jpg

96.

George Pullman

66

66

15.8

United States

United States

Pullman sleeping car
Gpullman.jpg

97.

Robert Wood Johnson, Jr.

74

74

15.2

United States

United States

Johnson & Johnson
Robert_Wood_Johnson.jpg

98.

Horace E. Dodge

52

52

14.8

United States

United States

Oldsmobile Motor Company
HoraceEDodge.jpg

99.

John F. Dodge

65

65

14.8

United States

United States

Oldsmobile Motor Company
Johnfdodge.jpg

100.

James J. Hill

77

77

14.0

United States

United States

Great Northern Railway
James_J._Hill_at_35.jpg

Notes

  • If the 17 year rule was not factored in this list then Sam Walton would have $110.3 billion, Michael Dell would have a net worth $18.4 billion, and Bill Gates would have $142.3 billion putting him third on the list.

  • This list is based on current wealth of the GDP of 2006, the wealth for 2007 is not scheduled to come out until January 2008.