List of presidents of the United States by net worth
The wealth of United States Presidents has varied considerably, with the wealth of one (John F. Kennedy) possibly being a billionaire in 2010 dollars, while some others were not even millionaires. Most U.S. Presidents before 1845 were extremely wealthy, including Andrew Jackson, who was born into poverty.[1] Many of these early Presidents were landowners, and some of them owned plantations, including their own slaves.[2][3] With a few exceptions, U.S. Presidents between 1845 and 1929 were generally not so wealthy. Many of these were born into poor or middle class families and did not move up the economic ladder significantly during their lifetimes, even though a number of them served as generals in the United States Army.[4] U.S. Presidents since 1929 have generally been wealthier than before, with John F. Kennedy being almost twice as wealthy as the second wealthiest, George Washington. U.S. Presidents since 1929 have often received income from writing autobiographies and from other writing.[5] Since 1929, George H. W. Bush has been the only President not to write an autobiography. In addition, many Presidents received considerable income from public speaking during their retirements, such as Bill Clinton.[6]
The four richest U.S. Presidents since 1933 were Democrats, despite the fact that the Democratic Party has generally portrayed itself to be the party that best represents ordinary Americans.[7][8] The poorest U.S. President since 1933 (Harry Truman) was also a Democrat. Excluding Harry Truman, the last U.S. President who was not a millionaire was Calvin Coolidge, who left office in 1929. The Presidents of the late 19th century and of the 1920s were generally not very wealthy at all, despite the widespread belief that their economic policies benefited the wealthyy] the most of all.[9][10][11]
The data in the table below is all from Time Magazine, with the exception of the $125 million figure for JFK, which comes from the Christian Science Monitor.
Similar articles
References
- ^ Andrew Jackson — History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts
- ^ Historical News: George Washington, Landowner
- ^ Which U.S. Presidents Owned Slaves?
- ^ Abraham Lincoln: Biography from Answers.com
- ^ Giving, by Bill Clinton
- ^ McIntyre, Mike (5 April 2008). "Clintons Made $109 Million in Last 8 Years". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ Democrats say Ryan is an enemy of the middle class – USATODAY.com
- ^ Democrats Seen As Good For Poor And Middle Class, GOP For Wall Street And Small Businesses
- ^ James Garfield (1831-1881)
- ^ 30. Calvin Coolidge . . WGBH American Experience | PBS
- ^ Calvin Coolidge: Why are Republicans so obsessed with him? - Slate Magazine
- ^ a b c Presidential Purses - TIME
- ^ [1]