These Men Are the Richest to Ever Serve as American President
It’s not unusual to think the president of the United States is wealthy. Even our relatively poor presidents have been outliers — their net worth is significantly higher than the average American. That said, there is still a wide disparity of wealth even among our richest presidents. Our current commander-in-chief, President Donald Trump, is a well-known billionaire, a much wealthier man than his predecessor, for example.
But how does Trump’s wealth compare to past presidents? Is he the richest man ever to serve in the Oval Office? By comparing the net worth of all of our past presidents, HowMuch was able to create the definitive list. By converting everything to 2016 dollars and estimating land and asset values, HowMuch’s team ranked the richest presidents in history. We’re going to show you the top 15.
While you probably suspect that Trump holds a pretty lofty position on the list, you might be very surprised by who comes up near the top. Let’s just say his fortune was “revolutionary” for the time. But first in our countdown, the 15th richest president in American history: the one, the only, Grover Cleveland.
15. Grover Cleveland
- President Grover Cleveland’s net worth tallied up to $28 million.
Grover Cleveland isn’t one of the more famous presidents, but he sure wasn’t poor. Cleveland had a fortune of roughly $28 million — not bad for our 22nd and 24th commander in chief. He served two terms but not consecutively. His first term was from 1885 to 1889, and then he was re-elected in 1893 and served until 1897. Interestingly enough, he also won the popular vote in 1888 but didn’t win the presidency. Sound familiar?
Next: A man who inspired the fearsome Van Buren boys in an episode of Seinfeld
14. Martin Van Buren
- President Martin Van Buren was worth $29 million.
The man that the Van Buren boys idolize is our 14th richest president to date. Martin Van Buren was only slightly richer than Grover Cleveland, with a fortune of around $29 million. He was our eighth president, serving from 1837 to 1841. Van Buren was a successful lawyer and political organizer before working in the federal government and served as vice president and secretary of state before being elected himself.
Next: In the 13th spot is our fifth commander in chief.
13. James Monroe
- Our fifth president commanded a $30 million fortune.
President James Monroe edges out both Cleveland and Van Buren with a $30 million fortune of his own. Monroe was our fifth president, serving in the Oval Office from 1817 until 1825. Monroe was also one of the Founding Fathers — and the last of the bunch to serve in the White House. Like many others to serve as POTUS, Monroe studied the law, and he actually did so under one of our other famous presidents: Thomas Jefferson.
Next: A recent and massively unpopular president
12. George W. Bush
- The 43rd POTUS, son of the 41st, had $39 million while in office.
It’s hard to think back at George W. Bush’s presidency and not feel envy. At the time that Bush left office in 2009, many people didn’t think it could get much worse. A deep recession was in its early stages, and we were embroiled in two wars. Bush, who came from a wealthy family and had $39 million himself, seemed in over his head. Nobody would’ve guessed that less than a decade later, however, Bush’s time in office would be looked at with a sense of nostalgia.
Next: The man who took over for William Henry Harrison in 1841
11. John Tyler
- President John Tyler wasn’t in office long, but he had $57 million while he was in the White House.
John Tyler held the presidency from 1841 to 1845. Famously, he assumed office after President William Henry Harrison died only a month after being elected. He came from a rich and prominent family in Virginia, and before running alongside Harrison he served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative and a U.S. senator. Later in life, Tyler actually ran for office in the Confederate House of Representatives — yes, that Confederacy.
Next: Into the top 10 now, where one of our most famous presidents kicks things off
10. Franklin D. Roosevelt
- FDR was loaded with a $66 million fortune.
There are only a handful of American presidents with higher stature in our collective conscious than Franklin Roosevelt. The man who served as our 32nd president — from 1933 until 1945 — saw America through the Great Depression and later World War II. Like many other presidents, Roosevelt came from a very prominent family and attended both Harvard and Columbia before becoming a lawyer in New York prior to going into politics.
Next: One of our most popular recent presidents, with an extremely unpopular spouse
9. Bill Clinton
- Bill and Hillary Clinton had around $75 million.
President Bill Clinton — the only President Clinton — was and continues to be a pretty popular guy. He was our 42nd president, beating out George H.W. Bush in 1992 and leaving office in early 2000. Bill and his wife, Hillary, have managed to make quite a bit of money, too. A lawyer by trade, Clinton first got into the political arena back in the mid-1970s and stayed until 2000. All the while, he amassed roughly $75 million.
Next: The 31st president, who served between 1929 and 1933
8. Herbert Hoover
- Herbert Hoover, a successful businessman, had $82 million in his coffers.
President Herbert Hoover was already a successful man by the time he entered office. An engineer and businessman, Hoover worked as a mining engineer until 1912 and then retired. He went on, however, to help with the war effort and in the federal government during the first World War. He was elected in 1928 and then had the misfortune of having to deal with the Wall Street crash in 1929, which would go on to engulf the U.S. in the Great Depression.
Next: A man with $108 million at his beck and call
7. Lyndon B. Johnson
- LBJ presided over the country — and $108 million.
President Lyndon Johnson is famous for a few reasons, including for his infatuation with his own body. But he was also quite wealthy, with a fortune of roughly $108 million. He was the 36th president, taking over after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Johnson went on to sign a number of civil rights bills and designating the “Great Society” legislation. We can thank him for many of the social safety net programs we have today.
Next: Landing just outside of the top five? Our man James Madison.
6. James Madison
- President James Madison had a fortune of $112 million.
Almost cracking the top five? President James Madison, who was our fourth president serving from 1809 to 1817. Another one of the Founding Fathers, Madison is commonly called the “Father of the Constitution.” His wealth — which amounted up to $112 million — can be traced back to his inheritance of a plantation in Virginia, on which hundreds of slaves lived and worked. Despite that ugly mark, he’s considered to be one of our most successful presidents.
Next: Into the top five, one of our most despised presidents
5. Andrew Jackson
- President Andrew Jackson was worth $131 million.
Andrew Jackson is another president known for some of his uglier quirks. Jackson was a soldier and general, and he was elected as our seventh president serving from 1829 to 1837. Along with his career in the military, he served in the House and Senate before becoming president. He is, of course, most famous for his fierce military campaigns. He was also behind the Indian Removal Act, which displaced and relocate many tribes away from their homes leading to thousands of deaths.
Next: At No. 4, a man famous for getting shot during a speech — and finishing up before going to the hospital
4. Theodore Roosevelt
- Teddy Roosevelt was a rich man with a net worth of $138 million.
A much rosier figure than Jackson, President Teddy Roosevelt is famed for a number of things. He was a soldier and explorer in addition to being a politician, and he became our 26th president in 1901 after the assassination of William McKinley. His biggest achievements include the establishment of the National Parks, construction of the Panama Canal, and his support of many other progressive policies. These days, he can be found adorning Mount Rushmore.
Next: Into the top three, with one of our most famous national heroes leading the charge
3. Thomas Jefferson
- President Thomas Jefferson wasn’t poor, with a $234 million fortune.
We all know who Thomas Jefferson is, but few of us realize how much wealth the man commanded. All told, he was worth $234 million, making him our third richest president to date. Jefferson was yet another one of the Founding Fathers and authored the Declaration of Independence. He also owned and operated several plantations that fueled his wealth. And hundreds of slaves worked on those plantations, staining his reputation.
Next: At No. 2, our first and most famous president
2. George Washington
- President George Washington was an immensely rich man with $580 million.
George Washington is known for a lot of things. But being immensely rich isn’t really one of them. But Washington was rich, commanding $580 million. His family owned tobacco plantations on which slaves worked, and he later inherited those plantations, which boosted his net worth. Aside from that, he was our first president, a general during the Revolutionary War, and is widely considered to be one of the best — if not the best — president in U.S. history.
Next: The current POTUS
1. Donald Trump
- President Donald Trump is reportedly worth $3.5 billion — but we don’t know the true amount.
At last, we land at President Donald Trump. Trump is the richest person to serve as president, with a net worth of $3.5 billion. Of course, we have to point out that we don’t actually know Trump’s net worth — a lot of it is tied up in investments, business interests, and real estate around the world. His total worth has been estimated at anywhere from $10 billion to a measly $150 million. But again, we don’t actually know and might never find out for sure.
See the complete report from HowMuch.net.
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