List of Presidents of the United States by net worth
The peak wealth of Presidents of the United States has varied considerably. Debt and depreciation often meant that Presidents often had a negative net worth at the time of their deaths.[1]
Most U.S. presidents before 1845 were extremely wealthy, including Andrew Jackson, who was born into poverty,[2] and George Washington. Many of these early presidents were landowners, and some of them owned plantations, including their own slaves.[3][4]
Presidents since 1929 (when Herbert Hoover took office) have generally been wealthier than before; all except Harry Truman were millionaires. These presidents have often received income from autobiographies and other writing;[5] other than John F. Kennedy (who died in office in 1963), all presidents beginning with Calvin Coolidge have written autobiographies. In addition, many presidents received considerable income from public speaking after retirement, such as Bill Clinton.[6][7]
The richest president in U.S. history is incumbent President Donald Trump, who is the first billionaire president.[8][9] The exact extent of Trump's net worth, however, is unknown, due to the Trump Organization being privately-held and Trump not being willing to disclose his tax returns.[8][9] By estimate, Trump is also wealthier than all former U.S. presidents combined.[10][11]
The figures in the table below are all from 24/7 Wall St.'s 2016 valuation of each president's peak net worth, which can be after they left office.[12] To allow direct comparison, all of the figures have been adjusted for inflation to 2016 dollars.
List of presidents by net worth[edit]
| Name | Net worth (in mill. of 2016 US$)[13][12] |
Political party[13] | Years in office | Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trump, DonaldDonald Trump | 3,700[nb 1][14][15] | Republican | from 2017 | born 1946 |
| Kennedy, John F.John F. Kennedy | 1,000[nb 2][13] | Democratic | 1961–1963 | 1917–1963 |
| Washington, GeorgeGeorge Washington | 580 | None | 1789–1797 | 1732–1799 |
| Jefferson, ThomasThomas Jefferson | 234 | Democratic-Republican | 1801–1809 | 1743–1826 |
| Roosevelt, TheodoreTheodore Roosevelt | 138 | Republican | 1901–1909 | 1858–1919 |
| Jackson, AndrewAndrew Jackson | 131 | Democratic | 1829–1837 | 1767–1845 |
| Madison, JamesJames Madison | 112 | Democratic-Republican | 1809–1817 | 1751–1836 |
| Johnson, Lyndon B.Lyndon B. Johnson | 108 | Democratic | 1963–1969 | 1908–1973 |
| Hoover, HerbertHerbert Hoover | 82 | Republican | 1929–1933 | 1874–1964 |
| Clinton, BillBill Clinton | 75 | Democratic | 1993–2001 | born 1946 |
| Roosevelt, Franklin D.Franklin D. Roosevelt | 66 | Democratic | 1933–1945 | 1882–1945 |
| Tyler, JohnJohn Tyler | 57 | Whig | 1841–1845 | 1790–1862 |
| Bush, George W.George W. Bush | 39 | Republican | 2001–2009 | born 1946 |
| Monroe, JamesJames Monroe | 30 | Democratic-Republican | 1817–1825 | 1758–1831 |
| Buren, Martin VanMartin Van Buren | 29 | Democratic | 1837–1841 | 1782–1862 |
| Cleveland, GroverGrover Cleveland | 28 | Democratic | 1885–1889 1893–1897 |
1837–1908 |
| Bush, George H. W.George H. W. Bush | 26 | Republican | 1989–1993 | born 1924 |
| Adams, John QuincyJohn Quincy Adams | 23 | Democratic-Republican | 1825–1829 | 1767–1848 |
| Adams, JohnJohn Adams | 21 | Federalist | 1797–1801 | 1735–1826 |
| Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon | 17 | Republican | 1969–1974 | 1913–1994 |
| Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan | 14 | Republican | 1981–1989 | 1911–2004 |
| Polk, James K.James K. Polk | 11 | Democratic | 1845–1849 | 1795–1849 |
| Eisenhower, DwightDwight Eisenhower | 9 | Republican | 1953–1961 | 1890–1969 |
| Obama, BarackBarack Obama | 9 | Democratic | 2009–2017 | born 1961 |
| Ford, GeraldGerald Ford | 8 | Republican | 1974–1977 | 1913–2006 |
| Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter | 8 | Democratic | 1977–1981 | born 1924 |
| Taylor, ZacharyZachary Taylor | 7 | Whig | 1849–1850 | 1784–1850 |
| Harrison, William HenryWilliam Henry Harrison | 6 | Whig | 1841–1841 | 1773–1841 |
| Harrison, BenjaminBenjamin Harrison | 6 | Republican | 1889–1893 | 1833–1901 |
| Fillmore, MillardMillard Fillmore | 4 | Whig | 1850–1853 | 1800–1874 |
| Hayes, Rutherford B.Rutherford B. Hayes | 3 | Republican | 1877–1881 | 1822–1893 |
| Taft, William HowardWilliam Howard Taft | 3 | Republican | 1909–1913 | 1857–1930 |
| Pierce, FranklinFranklin Pierce | 2 | Democratic | 1853–1857 | 1804–1869 |
| McKinley, WilliamWilliam McKinley | 1 | Republican | 1897–1901 | 1843–1901 |
| Harding, Warren G.Warren G. Harding | 1 | Republican | 1921–1923 | 1865–1923 |
| Buchanan, JamesJames Buchanan | <1 | Democratic | 1857–1861 | 1791–1868 |
| Lincoln, AbrahamAbraham Lincoln | <1 | Republican / National Union | 1861–1865 | 1809–1865 |
| Johnson, AndrewAndrew Johnson | <1 | National Union / Democratic | 1865–1869 | 1808–1875 |
| Grant, Ulysses S.Ulysses S. Grant | <1 | Republican | 1869–1877 | 1822–1885 |
| Garfield, JamesJames Garfield | <1 | Republican | 1881–1881 | 1831–1881 |
| Arthur, Chester A.Chester A. Arthur | <1 | Republican | 1881–1885 | 1829–1886 |
| Wilson, WoodrowWoodrow Wilson | <1 | Democratic | 1913–1921 | 1856–1924 |
| Coolidge, CalvinCalvin Coolidge | <1 | Republican | 1923–1929 | 1872–1933 |
| Truman, Harry S.Harry S. Truman | <1 | Democratic | 1945–1953 | 1884–1972 |
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ While Trump has claimed to have as much as $10 billion, his financial disclosure and campaign statements vary, and Forbes estimates his net worth at $3.7 billion.[12]
- ^ "Although he never inherited his father’s fortune, the Kennedy family estate was worth nearly $1 billion. His own personal net worth at the time is calculated to be around $10 million."[12]
References[edit]
- ^ Wilson, Gaye. "Monticello Was among the Prizes in a Lottery for a Ruined Jefferson's Relief". www.history.org. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
- ^ "Andrew Jackson". HISTORY.com. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
- ^ "Heritage Auctions Newsletter: George Washington, Landowner". Historical.ha.com. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
- ^ "How many presidents owned slaves?". Archived from the original on August 10, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
- ^ "Giving, by Bill Clinton". Ontheissues.org. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
- ^ McIntyre, Mike (5 April 2008). "Clintons Made $109 Million in Last 8 Years". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ Tonner, Andrew (Nov 20, 2016). "The 10 Richest U.S. Presidents -- The Motley Fool". The Motley Fool. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
- ^ a b Rebecca Seales, Eight ways President Donald Trump will make history, BBC News (January 21, 2017).
- ^ a b Leada Gore, Donald Trump's net worth as he takes office and Barack Obama's as he leaves, AL.com (January 19, 2017).
- ^ "Donald Trump is richer than all the presidents combined". Retrieved 2017-04-06.
- ^ "Donald Trump is Richer than Every U.S. President Combined". Money. Retrieved 2017-04-06.
- ^ a b c d "The Net Worth of American Presidents: Washington to Trump". 24/7 Wall St. WordPress.com. November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Presidential Purses - TIME". Time.com. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
- ^ "Donald Trump". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
- ^ "The Definitive Net Worth Of Donald Trump". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-03-24.