List of richest Americans in history
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Most sources agree that adjusting for inflation, John D. Rockefeller (1839–1937) the richest man in the United States[1][2][3]
There are various methods of comparing individuals' wealth across time, including using simple inflation-adjusted totals or calculating an individual's wealth as a share of contemporary gross domestic product (GDP). For example, economic blogger Scott Sumner noted in 2018 that Rockefeller was worth $1.4 billion when he died in 1937, about $24 billion in dollars adjusted to 2018. Meanwhile, Bill Gates in 1999 was worth nearly $150 billion in dollars adjusted to 2018.[4]
The second-richest person in terms of wealth vs. contemporary GDP is disputed. Most sources list Andrew Carnegie, but others say Bill Gates, Cornelius Vanderbilt I, John Jacob Astor IV, or Henry Ford. Lower ranks are a matter of even bigger debate. Vanderbilt left a fortune worth $100 million upon his death in 1877 ($2,400,000,000 today[5]). As the United States became the world's foremost economic power by the late 19th century, the wealthiest people in America were often also the wealthiest people in the world.