The United States is home to a large collection of billionaires – that is no mystery. What might surprise you, however, is that most of these super-wealthy individuals are fortunate enough to be historical members of America’s most elite dynasties. These are families whose wealth can be traced many generations back, spanning over numerous trades, which continue to flourish in the 21st century. For all of the iconic families like the Gates and the Trumps, there are plenty of ridiculously rich families who keep the nature of their fortunes hidden. That is not to say that they aren’t prominent in society – these are the people responsible for America’s past, present, and future. We have made a list of some of the wealthiest and most influential with a rough estimate of how much they are thought to be worth, and how they made their money.
Wealthiest Families in America
The Wynn Family – $3.4 Billion
The father of the Wynn empire, Steve Wynn, found his wealth through building many of Las Vegas’ best-known hotels and casinos, such as the Bellagio and The Mirage. His fortunes then birthed “Wynn Resorts”, which would in time turn into a global domain filled with extravagant hotels. While Wynn’s wife Elaine headed the leader board for most of the 90s, the 2000s saw Wynn Resorts’ stock plummet to new depths. Following some concerned reshuffling, the Wynn enterprise soon resurfaced to its preferred level of peak affluence.
The Wynn Family
The Bezos Family – $137B
Jeff Bezos is one of the most influential billionaires in today’s world economy, his family enjoying the ultimate prosperity. Bezos’ ambition is one of the best “rags to riches” examples, with his rise from meager origins to the establishment of Amazon. Jeff was born to a teenage mother, his father running a tiny bike shop. At the tender age of four, his folks split up, his mother going on to wed a Cuban immigrant called Mark Bezos. Still, Jeff matured into a fine Wall Street hedge fund administrator. His true ambition, however, rested in the creation of Amazon, which he formed in 1994 as a humble internet bookstore.
The Bezos Family
The Riney Family – $3.5B
The lucrative Rodger O. Riney was both the brains and brawns behind Scottrade, purchased in time by Ameritrade. A child of the 40s, Riney fell in love with the stock market following his grandparents’ gift of ten stock shares. The deregulation of the brokerage market in the 70s prompted Riney to establish Scottsdale Securities, serving trades at a lesser commission rate. The 90s saw him target St. Louis for the establishment of a new branch, with the business beginning its unique online trading stage in 1996.
The Riney Family
The Lauder Family – $24.3B
Following the economic boom of World War II, Estée Lauder was birthed by the fabulous divorcees Estée and Joseph Lauder. Initially bound to New York City, Estée Lauder’s limited range consisted of only four crèmes, lotions, and oils. Incredibly, it only took two years for the power couple to fund their dazzling beauty department on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The following fifteen years saw a meteoric rise in their brand’s variety and quality, including Aramis and Clinique. The 90s saw the Lauder duo reach unparalleled heights in global presence.
The Lauder Family
The Ziff Family – $14.4B
Despite having finalized their hedge funds in American and London a while back, Wall Street is still very much influenced by Ziff Brother Investments. Although the Ziff brothers Robert and Dirk have chosen to pursue separate enterprises, they are united by their family’s decadent wealth which spans close to one hundred years. This ancestral wealth flourished from the publishing prominence of William Ziff Sr., which was only further developed by his son William Jr. Today the magazine kingdom is best known for PC Magazine and Car and Driver.
The Ziff Family
The Butt Family – $11B
The Texan shopping mall magnates are renowned for H.E.B. Grocery, founded over a century ago in 1905 by a devoted wife called Florence Butt. Her husband, bedridden by tuberculosis, found immense support and care from Florence and her newfound business, which incredibly began to inflate throughout Texas under their son Howard’s careful command. Since 1971, the third generation of Butts has successfully steered their dynasty towards a net worth of $22 billion, with hundreds of spots within Texas.
The Butt Family
The Lucas Family $5.5B
While George Lucas is best known for his monumental Star Wars franchise, the cinematic technology which he and his expert special and visual effects team pioneered and controlled also largely led to his legendary financial status. Through a genius acquisition of the entire Star Wars franchise, Lucas was able to establish various prominent and technologically revolutionary film studios like THX. On top of film, Lucas has a firm place in the gaming industry with LucasArts, as well as audio and visual effects through Skywalker Sound and Light & Magic respectively.
The Lucas Family
The Jordan Family 2.0B$
Best known as Number 23 of the leading basketball outfit called the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan also has a diverse career involving the lead role in the wacky Space Jam film, a lucrative set of endorsements with sportswear giants like Nike, as well as the massively popular Air Jordan footwear franchise. Jordan is also a wise investor, the Charlotte Hornets basketball team forming the lion’s share of his $2 billion fortune.
The Jordan Family
The Hunt Family – $13.7B
H.L. Hunt struck gold multiple times through his exploratory oil well sinking, leading to the formation of an extremely profitable oil corporation. Hunt’s oil money would then fund the expansion of his ambitions, as well as those of his children, who as adults went on to found new fronts in the oil and gas industry, as well as the hotel and resort area. One particularly famous descendant, known as Lamar Hunt, would become one of general American sports’ greatest endorsers and promoters.
The Hunt Family
The Murdoch Family – $19.8 Billion
As part of global media’s giants, the Murdoch dynasty enjoyed close ties to the industry prior to Rupert Murdoch’s rise to prominence, despite his crucial involvement in the family success. Following the passing of his father, who was a reporter, Rupert established News Corporation, where he surprisingly refused to merge with or remain with his dad’s operations, striking an individual pioneering trail. Commencing in Australia and New Zealand, News Corporation created print and televised news prior to growing towards Asia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The Murdoch Family Trust owes the acquisition of Fox, The Wall Street Journal and Harper Collins to Rupert’s successful purchases
The Murdoch Family
The Nicholson Family – $400M
Jack Nicholson became one of America’s most acclaimed actors, with a dozen Academy Awards nominations and a well-deserved triple Oscar win – an assured way to foster fabulous affluence. Despite multiple profitable movie productions, Nicholson’s numerous investments range from the intelligently astute to the completely weird. One of his more eccentric purchases involved the buying and destroying of Marlon Brando’s past mansion in Beverly Hills, all done in honor of his legendary friend’s memory. Jack’s children, of whom there are five, are predicted to come into a titanic inheritance, which is projected to span well over $400 million, the majority of this money stemming from the fractions Mr. Nicholson earns out of offshoots and products from the 80s comic book blockbuster Batman.
The Nicholson Family
The Koch Family – $98.7 B
The Koch kingdom is led nowadays by David and Charles Koch, better known as the Koch Brothers. Besides reigning over a leading American wealth territory, the Koch Brothers are praised for their consistent upholding of the Republican party with frequent monetary contributions. Across age groups, the Kochs have resisted unyielding efforts to make their business trades public, adamant that each share safely remains inside family boundaries. The initial patriarch, Fred Koch, worked as a chemical engineer which led him to establish an oil refinery firm that developed in time into Koch Industries. With its headquarters situated in Wichita, Kansas, the business now hires over 120,000 employees throughout the entire world.
The Koch Family
The Jolie Family – $160M
One doesn’t need to ponder much how Angelina Jolie became rich. She is one of Hollywood’s leading actors, on top of being connected to an enviously sized inheritance. While she is honored actor John Voight’s daughter, Angelina struck out as an independently recognized and celebrated thespian. Those doubting her dramatic qualities might gain a lot from watching her awarded role in Girl, Interrupted, a timeless performance. From acting to directing independent productions, Jolie has widened her claim on Hollywood, not to mention already extravagant film incomes and multiple sponsorship contracts.
The Jolie Family
The Hearst Family – $24.5B
The Hearst fortunes span back to William Randolph Hearst’s penchant for publishing, and even before him, his father struck gold as a miner in San Francisco. Hearst bought The San Francisco Examiner wielding his father’s wealth at the age of 24, quickly growing the family territory into a titanic radio, television and newspaper giant. The journalist William II, Hearst’s son, had his talent sealed when he won a Pulitzer prize and soon went onto taking the reigns of the media giant, known as the Hearst Corporation. The Hearst presence and influence within America’s richest groups, as well as public relations and publishing in general, are simply unrivaled.
The Hearst Family
The Dorrance Family – $17.1B
It might sound ridiculous, however, the Dorrance family more or less pioneered soup towards the end of the 19th century through John Dorrance’s ingenious creation of a soup condensing process, propelling him into the food hall of fame. Generations of Dorrance family members have championed the business, eleven of which currently direct Campbell’s day-to-day running. The Dorrance empire also includes various subsidiaries, such as Prego, Pepperidge Farms and V8. The company’s present key board seats belong to the patriarch’s grandchildren and even a great-grandson, a granddaughter named Charlotte happily retiring in the year 2014. A grandchild known as Ippy decided to sell his shares – which came to around 10%, before exiting the business.
The Dorrance Family
The Duncan Family – $26B
The Duncan family’s rags to riches tale is like no other. The family came from absolute squalor in Texas’ countryside, and stands as proof of the American Dream. It was when Dan Duncan ventured into the oil fields as a prospector that he intelligently struck oil, creating enough income to establish Enterprise Products Partners, which skyrocketed throughout the foundational oil period within the United States. Currently, the dynasty’s riches predominantly stem from major gas and oil pipelines, the business producing billions of dollars on a yearly basis. The year 2010 was a tragic one for the family, when the patriarch Dan Duncan died at 77 years old, his children inheriting a mind-blowing $10 billion sum. Randa, Scott, Milane, and Dannine then successfully doubled this sum.
The Duncan Family
The Marshall Family – $12B
It was when Howard Marshall II successfully traded his shares in the Great Northern Oil Company for an invaluable fifteen percent stake (within the previously-mentioned Koch Industries) that he established himself as the head of the Marshal family kingdom. In a questionable move, the Marshall patriarch controversially decided to bestow his shares to only one of two sons, Howard II, who would ironically go on to land his family in much legal trouble. His more publicly recognized moments include his marriage to the ex-Playboy star, Anna Nicole Smith, who was at the time young enough to be his granddaughter. Despite the glaring age gap, Smith ended up featuring prominently in the late Howard’s will, a situation which led the rest of the Marshalls to sue Smith towards regaining their inheritance.
The Marshall Family
The Getty Family – $5B
Searching for the core of the Getty family fortunes will lead you to the petroleum industry, their founding leaders being George Franklin and his son Jean-Paul. Dropping his profession as a lawyer, George Franklin switched to being an oil magnate, eventually leaving his company’s successes to his son Jean, adamant that he should focus on oil and gas. Luckily, Jean listened to his father, and together in 1916, they established Getty Oil, the massive oil kingdom now making its way down the family while having its net worth boosted.
The Getty Family
The Stryker Family – $35B
It all began for the Stryker family in 1941, when they formed a company that would go on to conquer the medical technology (Medtech) field in the United States, a position they have enjoyed for almost fifty years. The ingenious inventor Homer Stryker formed innovative medical utilities, the mobile hospital bed being his most celebrated invention. Homer’s business was then inherited by Lee, a stalwart son whose similarly-minded children then took over following his tragic death in a plane accident. The Strykers are famous for upholding Democratic and progressive social projects, forming the Bohemian Foundation geared towards the promotion of arts and culture, along with the LGBTQ rights-centered Arcus Foundation.
The Stryker Family
The Simmons Family – $5.4B
Through a process of commercial invasion, the Simmons scavenged a newfound level of riches, all consolidated into a startup capital business by Harold Simmons, Sr. Harold’s schemes involved the salvaging of businesses on the brink of collapse, salvaging what he could before selling the corporation for a profit, before starting again. Tinier businesses were his modus operandi, being softer prey than the more formidably sizeable multinationals. Ironically, Harold was also a humanitarian, one of his most noticeable donations of $200 million awarded to the University of Texas’ Southwest Medical Center.
The Simmons Family
The Newhouse Family – $18.5B
Sam Newhouse established Advance Publications before passing in 1979, leaving his fortunes to Si and Donald, his sons. They would then go on to build a breakthrough platform within global media, with Advance Publications becoming one of the largest magazine franchises on earth. You may have heard of Conde Nast Publications, responsible for Vogue, The New Yorker and Vanity fair – all owned by Advance Publications. Amazingly, their ambition doesn’t stop there, with investments in the Reddit information sharing platform, along with a major stake in Discovery Communications.
The Newhouse Family
The Mars Family – $89.7B
Around a century ago, one of the most iconic candy bars was created by Franklin Clarence Mars: the Milky Way chocolate bar. The accomplishment of this chocolate bar was fused with Skittles, Snickers, M&M’s and Big Red gum, leading to the titan riches held by the Mars group. A revolution in the company successfully consolidated its modern place in today’s world as a provider of symbioscience, life science, and pet care products, beyond candy.
The Mars Family
The Greenberg Family – $1.5B
The former AIG (American International Group) CEO, Maurice “Mark” Greenberg, found immense success leading the American insurance and investment business, which is one of the planet’s biggest companies. The New York-born, Bronze Star-awarded World War II Army captain would go on to be one of AIG’s most lauded frontrunners, eventually stepping back in 2005 only to publicly disapprove of his former company’s directors in 2008 when appearing on Good Morning America. Despite his retirement, Greenberg and his loved ones still reap the benefits of his life’s work.
The Greenberg Family
The Trinchero Family – $1.9B
Being the fourth-highest supplier of wine and related goods within the United States might be the Trinchero Family Estates’ crowning glory, but it doesn’t stop their collection of more than 50 established wine names from growing. John and Mario Trinchero, brothers, cleverly assimilated the Sutter Home Winery in 1947, located in St. Helena, California. The succeeding son of Mario, Bob, attained the winery after John gave up work. Bob then crafted White Zinfandel, a name which rose to commercial prominence, with the business growing to feature more names such as Napa Valley, Napa Cellars and Menage a Trois, among others.
The Trinchero Family
The Johnson Family – $28.5B
The second Johnson to be discussed (the other being S.C. Johnson), developed Fidelity Investments, internationally known as a forerunner in the investment industry, established by Edward C. Johnson II. Edward’s sole heir, Edward Johnson III, better known as “Ned”, would inherit the business, with his daughter Abigail eventually gaining control. As the current leader of the global conglomerate, Abigail is the CEO and president of Fidelity Investments, being worth around $16.5 billion, over half of the entire family’s total worth of $30 billion. Forbes has recognized her international influence, placing her fifth on the list of the planet’s “Most Powerful Women”.
The Johnson Family
The McMahon Family $3.3B
The wrestling entertainment mogul Vincent J. McMahon established the massively popular WWE franchise, tapping in his son and successor Vince (better recognized as a feature of the WWE world as Mr. McMahon) as CEO and chairman. Vince would later consolidate and found Alpha Entertainment, under which come numerous sporting companies such as XFL Football. Vince enjoyed a career as a WWE wrestler and announcer, keeping in with the family’s legacy of promoters. His spouse, Linda, formerly held the title of WWE Chief Executive Officer, however, she nowadays administers the SBA. The couple is the proud parents and grandparents of two children and six grandchildren respectively.
The McMahon Family
The Ellison Family – $95B
The Oracle Corporation, which researches and builds groundbreaking software and hardware services, was co-founded by Larry Ellison, the tech giant who is in the top ten list of the world’s wealthiest males. Starting from almost nothing, Ellison cleverly invested an incredible $2,000 (one half of the sum out of his personal funds) and in ten years rose to global heights, recognized as a leading tech innovator. The cyber lord’s successes have trickled down to his offspring, David and Megan Ellison, who in turn wielded their riches to fund Hollywood blockbusters. With regards to David, some of his contemporary film titles include epics such as Star Trek and Mission: Impossible, not to mention the exciting next installment in the Top Gun series. Megan, on the other hand, prefers the opposite kind of film, producing independent hits such as The Master, Vice and Phantom Thread.
The Ellison Family
The Walton Family – $151.5B
Currently recognized as the wealthiest family in the United States, the Walton family established the once-obscure business known as Walmart, later blooming into the biggest retailer within the United States and falling in rank with the highest-grossing businesses on earth. Walmart rakes in an annual income of $482 billion, the Walton group profiting immensely from this monumental sum, individually splitting over $100 billion. The Waltons have stood the test of time with regards to their position within Walmart, owning slightly over half of the grocery behemoth.
The Walton Family
The Frist Family – $11.9B
Known as the wealthiest person in Tennessee (as well as rubbing shoulders with the richest men in the United States), Thomas Frist, Jr. created the Hospital Corporation of America alongside his father towards the end of the 1960s. Several years later, the son and father extended the business tremendously, overtaking the $1 billion-benchmark, steadily reaching for leadership positions in titanic corporations such as IBM. Frist achieved the hugest acquisitions in the history of American business in 2006, finally handing the business to Bill, his son. At the same time, Frist had already established himself at the head of current American healthcare structure design.
The Frist Family
The Knight Family – $33.8B
The legend tells that Phil Knight – who would later go on to create Nike – was refused summertime employment by his own father in his newspaper, wisely telling his son that more wisdom could be gained through forging a different path. This harsh fatherly advice made Knight the phenomenally successful person he is today, as he speedily transitioned into the sports world, the American military and eventually Japanese footwear. These were the seeds that would grow into Nike. Knight’s family has been decidedly difficult, his son, Matthew, tragically succumbed to a freak heart attack while scuba diving. Matthew’s death greatly debilitated Knight, causing him to retire from his position as Nike CEO.
The Knight Family
The Kohler Family – $8.3B
The Wisconsin-born Kohler Company quickly became one of America’s largest plumbing materials producers under the steering of Herbert Kohler, Jr., who today leads the family company, being handed down from one generation to the next. Amazingly, Kohler was in charge of the business’ daily running in his early thirties. The commercial prominence of the business developed into family stakes in production, government and hospitality. Interestingly, Kohler Jr. is a passionate golfer, the movie Open Range featuring him alongside his pal Kevin Costner.
The Kohler Family
The Meijer Family – $7.3B
The Michigan-founded mammoth private corporation controlled by the Meijer group was created by Hendrik Meijer around a hundred years ago, following his immigration from Holland to America. Succeeding fifty years of industry, the company turned into one of America’s biggest hypermarket chains, and in the 60s its value hit billions of dollars in worth. Currently, Hank and Doug Meijer command the business, directing the firm to monumental accomplishments throughout the 1900s. Although more members have been selected to manage the business’ daily events, the Meijer family still reigns supreme.
The Meijer Family
The Green Family – $7B
Commencing in the 70s, David Green made the most out of his $600 to start a private business. A couple of years later, his ventures culminated into his family’s prized kingdom, that being a widespread range of arts and crafts shops known as Hobby Lobby. Exclusively holding Hobby Lobby, David and his relatives funded various religious movements throughout the world, but such assets landed them in hot water. The most publicized case involved the exposure of a Green-led smuggling operation involving stolen historical relics from Iraq and Israel being proudly displayed in Christian exhibitions. Following a massive three million dollars fine, Hobby Lobby was commanded to return the items to their rightful homes.
The Green Family
The Sobrato Family – $6.6B
Motherly guidance was one of John A. Sobrato’s greatest assets when it came to forming one of America’s greatest real estate companies. It was through the Sobrato matriarch’s daring use of her inheritance that she revolutionized the real estate game. When John was old enough, he began his own personal real estate business, named the Sobrato Organization, which has property, residential zones and office areas across the country. John’s three children have wielded their magnificent riches towards individual investments and have attained monumental accomplishments, John’s son now being a shareowner of the San Francisco 49ers, a famous NFL team.
The Sobrato Family
The Love Family – $7B
Anyone who has driven across the United States has more than likely rested at one of the multiple “Love’s”, being a commonplace series of convenience and gas stores – one of the most fruitful in the country. The power couple Judy and Tom Love created the business, initially running their business out of a tiny service station which they transformed. In under a decade, they established a chain all over the United States, being present in almost all states. Love’s fervent dedication to acquiring competitors and sealing endorsement contracts peaked by landing the positioning of the NBA superstar team the Oklahoma City Thunder’s logo within certain shops.
The Love Family
The LeFrak Family – $6B
Richard LeFrak’s parents are accredited for forming the revolutionary real estate grid which would in time revamp the entirety of Jersey City. The LeFrak holdings have spread throughout the United States over thirty years, its main ventures found in South Beach and Beverly Hills, with plenty more. The LeFrak sons, James and Harrison, enjoy vice-chairman places, ensuring that the business stays in the family, on top of the astronomical incomes.
The LeFrak Family
The Davis Family – $5.9B
While New Balance may not be regarded as prime material among footwear aficionados, it remains one of America’s most beloved sportswear brands with more than a hundred years of performance. Fast forward to modern times, where the ridiculously wealthy Jim Davis happily owns New Balance – his direction acknowledged to be healthy for the skyrocketing sales. Good business aside, New Balance recently came under public condemnation for endorsing extreme right-wing politicians, sparking a rebellion against the company which has damaged profits.
The Davis Family
The Dolan Family – $5.7B
Most people have heard of HBO. What they might not know is that it was Charles Dolan who formulated the elite cable television and HBO in the 70s, coupled with the establishment of his leading business, Cablevision, which branched off into further top cable networks such as AMC, IFC and the Sundance Channel. Despite Dolan no longer possessing HBO or Cablevision, the man’s influence is undeniable. Dolan’s children now claim leading sports teams such as the Cleveland Indians and New York Knicks. Further, one of his sons presides over a news channel, with the other son chairing the Madison Square Garden Company.
The Dolan Family
The Bechtel Family – $3.3B
The Bechtel family’s mammoth fortunes can be mostly traced to a lucrative and gigantic construction business known as the Bechtel Corporation. More than a hundred years past, Warren Bechtel, then a cattle farmer, began the business and tens of years later found himself heading the building of railroad networks throughout the United States. Amazingly, it was the company’s revolutionary mission of building the Hoover Dam during the 30s which produced its main fortunes. Bechtel quickly began constructing metros, pipelines, malls and even nuclear reactors all throughout the world with the fastidious control of the present leader Stephen Bechtel Jr., the patriarch’s grandson, as Stephen’s son, Riley.
The Bechtel Family
The Kravis Family – $5.8B
Most members of the financing realm know the Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co’s commercial portfolio well, with the business being one of the biggest of its kind, directing grand portfolios, amassing profits which exceed more than one billion dollars annually. Henry Kravis, the firm’s co-founder, originated the business alongside another former student out of Bear Sterns. The 1980s prompted the duo to successfully land the biggest acquisition in American history for the period: obtaining Nabisco. While some of their buyouts were less tactical, such as absorbing Regal Cinemas, they compensated by purchasing conglomerates such as Duracell. The business has exemplarily grown its foreign trades, recently buying various German media firms and a movie production company.
The Kravis Family
The Gallo Family – $10.7B
With over a hundred years of experience in creating wine, the Gallos can follow their legacy back to Giuseppe Gallo, who traveled out of Fossano in Italy to the United States during the beginning of the 1900s. Starting by working the land physically in order to fund his later established wine trading company and a commercial wine estate. Following the patriarch’s passing, the estate moved to Gallo’s children, Julio and Ernest, attaching their initials to the certified E. & J. Gallo Winery. The third brother, called Joseph, crafted cheese and originated the monumental Joseph Gallo Farms network. Considered altogether, the family is officially the biggest creators of wine in America.
The Gallo Family
The Filo Family – $4.9B
The 1990s saw the birth of the internet, and David Filo was one of the first digital magnates and computer engineers to capitalize on this tool’s boundless capacity, writing a novel code which would form the heart of Yahoo! Filo’s search engine isn’t just one of the most frequently used today, it is also one of the most profitable, making Filo an essential part of Silicon Valley. The business has also forged various moneymaking web assets, each installation further empowering Yahoo! in its place as a phenomenal provider.
The Filo Family
The Busch Family – $13.4B
The tasty and refreshing Budweiser Beer was concocted amazingly many years ago in 1876 by Adolphus Beer. American history boffins will know that the Prohibition and its hardline on alcohol nearly caused the business to collapse, being forced to swap beer for ice cream and soda. Following the Prohibition in the later 1900s, the company continued to fall on hard times, with an aggressive invasion from Belgian financers. Towards the turn of the millennium, a quarter of the business had been bought from the Busch group, the buyout amounting to $52 billion. Following this incident, the group has continued with a humbler business that works out of Texas, now named William K. Busch Brewing.
The Busch Family
The Penske Family – $2B
The Penske Corporation makes the most out of its world-class transportation offerings, with an annual income of $1 billion. From the late 60s onwards, Roger Penske has been the private owner. Prior to being a businessman, Penske was a monumentally celebrated auto racer, being one of America’s most lauded professional drivers and holding the 1961 “Driver of the Year” prize from Sports Illustrated. Roger then wielded his insight into the track world for the commercial realm, with an appropriate experience fueling a magnificent range of customized vehicle upkeep services and parts.
The Penske Family
The Yang Family – $2.6
Returning to the story of Yahoo!’s meteoric success, which one cannot talk about without mentioning Taiwanese-American Jerry Yang, the electronics engineer who, partnered with the aforementioned David Filo, would form the basis for Yahoo! through a seemingly tiny web portal. Yang was the business-minded mogul who would lead Yahoo!’s commercial success through various large purchases, such as a major holding in Alibaba, a company he shares a seat in with other board directors. Yang recently departed from Yahoo!, having struck out on his own with various online business and profitable hedge funds. Lately, Yang has focused on startup businesses, forming AME Cloud Ventures aimed at funding fledgling startups.
The Yang Family
The Huizenga Family – $2.6B
Towards the end of the 19th century, the Huizenga clan moved to the United States from Holland, with their waste management and hotel endeavors sealing their class. Almost a century later, Wayne Huizenga struck gold when he purchased Blockbuster Video in 1987, which would lay the foundation for his family’s true current wealth. Wayne would foster the family riches further by commencing a profitable auto parts business known as AutoNation. Wayne also controlled the Florida Marlins and Florida Panthers sports teams, as well as enjoying a minority stake aboard the professional football team Miami Dolphins, prior to his death in 2018.
The Huizenga Family
The Kroenke Family – $8.5B
It is difficult to talk about sports in America without mentioning the Kroenke group. Altogether, the Kroenke’s possess a myriad of top sports teams throughout the entirety of sports in general, including lacrosse, football, basketball and ice hockey. Such shares are added to various projects within media creation, radio and real estate, dropping beneath the leading overseeing family corporation, called Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. When the Walmart heiress Ann married Stan Kroenke, they went on to purchase a plethora of sports teams, including the Colorado Avalanche, the Los Angeles Rams, the Los Angeles Gladiators and even British soccer team Arsenal.
The Kroenke Family
The Milken Family – $3.7B
Michael Milken put his family on this list of wealthiest Americans for all of the wrong reasons. Beginning with his pivotal role in a trading con which shattered Wall Street sensibility for decades. Milken is recognized as the inventor of “junk bonds”, which are high-yield yet negatively labeled bonds which investors consolidated to trick financiers and lenders into purchasing. Towards the end of the 80s, the spread of junk bonds led to a calamitous default domino effect, eventually landing Milken in prison with a two-year sentence. Amazingly, Michael has recently returned to the public sphere, attempting to rectify his reputation through the funding of cancer research, having beaten prostate cancer himself.
The Milken Family
The Gores Family – $4B
The Gores family left the Israeli city Nazareth in order to jump straight into the acquisition market, with Tom Gores establishing the leading family business known as Platinum Equity, the globally present headquarters situated in Beverly Hills. Platinum Equity’s profession honed in on leveraged takeover investments, very quickly earning around a billion dollars in profit through targeted acquisitions. Currently, Platinum Equity director Tom Gores makes the most out of his success through purchasing sports teams like the NBA Detroit Pistons.
The Gores Family
The Samueli Family – $3.8B
Henri Samueli maximized his company, called Broadcom Corporation, to create global industry-leading and groundbreaking semiconductors and electronics parts. Originally a professor at UCLA, his interests shifted from academia to business, cofounding one himself which was originally funded at almost $10,000 – an amount which would lead to exponential profiting in no time at all. Now holding a few billion dollars, Samueli has had the buying power to not only own the Anaheim Ducks of the NHL but has also moved them to San Diego. His various projects continue to expand his kingdom yearly.
The Samueli Family
The Kordestani Family – $1.4B
Proving that anyone can make it big in America, the formerly Iranian Omid Kordestani developed one of the most worthwhile breakthroughs in technological progress with his engineering brains, which culminated in commercial selling and growing within Netscape. Garnering near-total international cyber recognition, he was quickly appointed as Google’s Chief Business Officer. Documented as the man behind Google’s global presence, Omid would later be assigned to Executive Chairman of Twitter in 2015. He now progresses with Twitter to this day, along with major involvement with international tech firms, resulting in his magnificent earnings and familial prosperity.
The Kordestani Family
The Parasol Family – $1B
Online gaming is highly profitable, proven by Parasol’s titan fortunes made from hugely rewarding gaming services like PartyPoker and PartyGaming. Ruth Parasol soon left her engineering life behind to commence her personal online gaming platform towards the end of the 90s. Initially running out of the Caribbean, the speedy establishment of the gaming giant led to its reincarnation as PartyPoker.com, quickly dishing out a profit of half a billion dollars yearly. Not everything went swimmingly for the Parasols, however, as a federal investigation curbed their profitability, coupled with Ruth splitting from her then husband.
The Parasol Family
The Golisano Family – $3.1B
Youthful tycoons will most likely be able to talk about the business Paychex in detail, being a prominent workforce service provider within America. Starting in the 1970s, a young entrepreneur called Tom Golisano started the business using just a few thousand dollars. Within the 70s, the company rose to incredible riches, and in 2010 it hit the two-billion-dollar level. While Tom left the daily running of the business, he now possesses leading shares in sports teams like the Buffalo Bandits and Buffalo Sabres. The Golisano group also maintains its dedication to charities, giving millions of dollars annually.
The Golisano Family
The Cox Family – $33.6B
When James M. Cox purchased the tiny homegrown periodical “The Dayton Evening News”, he already believed he could develop it into what today is called Cox Enterprises. It now has stakes in television, radio, and cable and broadband internet services. The group’s leading companies are Cox Media Group and Cox Enterprises, which developed the telecom industry in the United States, specifically with the advent of the internet. The Cox group lately purchased DealerTrack, a business which develops software, specifically for vehicle dealerships.
The Cox Family
The Carey Family – $300M
The global superstar Mariah Carey is instantly recognizable as one of the music world’s greatest and wealthiest artists, her Platinum records funding her status as one of the widest-selling performers ever. Furthermore, Mariah’s multiple global tours, music deals and sponsorship contracts have constructed a passive income for the Carey clan. While her kids may be a bit too young to understand how wealthy their family is, when they are old enough this will change. Despite surviving a few taxing divorces in the past, Carey’s musical selling power has yet to be diminished.
The Carey Family
The Goldman Family – $13.7B
Sol Goldman proved that you can make the most out of any bad situation when he ventured into real estate throughout the Great Depression period, earning profits on condemned buildings. At just 16, Sol bought his neighbors’ plots at minimal costs, who were then enduring the crushing Depression era. The 50s saw Sol team up with Alex DiLorenzo, the duo proceeding to purchase real estate. Sol bought close to seven-hundred properties, such as the momentous Chrysler Building which sadly faced foreclosure during the 70s. His profits stemmed from securing lengthy tenancy contracts with residents.
The Goldman Family
The Pitt Family – $300M
After Brad Pitt transitioned to Los Angeles to become a movie star, none of his family members could have predicted just how extraordinarily successful he would become throughout the 90s and onwards. Beginning as an actor featuring in endlessly successful movies like Troy, Ocean’s Eleven and Seven Years in Tibet, Pitt would eventually work as a producer, such as on 12 Years a Slave (in which he also acted), which won an Oscar. He would also wield his monumental riches to acquire vineyards and real estate, executing a personal olive oil and wine brand. Along with former wife Angelina Jolie, the pair share guardianship of half a dozen children, made up of twins and four adopted minors.
The Pitt Family
The Cargill-MacMillan Family – $42.3B
Few families in the world possess more billionaires than the Cargill-MacMillan group: with an estimated 14, making them one of the wealthiest dynasties on earth today. Manufacturing grain and palm oil, Cargill also has stakes in steel, transport and energy. Moreover, they have major stocks in livestock rearing and feeding. The Cargill corporation also happens to be the biggest privately-owned business in America, 90% of holdings being in their possession. Despite these estimates, the private ownership of Cargill prohibits anyone from truly knowing their actual worth.
The Cargill MacMillan Family
The Powell-Jobs Family – $10.2B
Despite passing in 2011, Steve Jobs retains eternal influence and familial wealth as the pioneering ex-Apple CEO. The computer genius wed Lauren Powell in 1991. Alongside Steve Wozniak, Jobs established Apple during the mid-70s, aimed at developing and retailing a groundbreaking PC. While the Apple I was reasonably fruitful, the Apple II unleashed Apple’s true potential and was the springboard for their true prominence. Their business then skyrocketed into a titan multinational cooperation, with Jobs sharing his wealth and pride with his wife Lauren Powell.
The Powell Jobs Family
The Du Pont Family – $14.3B
The Du Pont family can trace their status among the wealthiest families in America back to the middle of the 1800s, when they produced gunpowder, a resource that would catapult their wealth during the First and Second World Wars. In the beginning of the 1900s, the family evolved towards the chemical and automotive industries. The public is sometimes given access to their sizeable properties, which feature several of the United States’ most opulent parks, gardens, and museums. Currently, the family is reinforced with close to four-thousand members, all who reap the benefits of this gigantic wealth.
The Du Pont Family
The Knowles-Carter Family – $1.3B
Shawn Corey Carter, better known as Jay-Z, along with his pop queen Beyoncé, have together breached a fortune that tops the richest American musical families list. The couple’s combined riches hit around $1.3 billion, much of it stemming from Jay-Z’s entrepreneurship in the music industry and his attached record label called Roc Nation, as well as Beyonce being the absolute megastar that she is. Plenty of massively-successful artists and their chart-topping albums have the rapper-turned-producer to thank. The power couple happily travel the globe, both on musical tours and with investments in mind.
The Carter Family
The West Family – $1.5B
The eccentric rapper and clothing brand owner Kanye West might be relatively sound in the music department, his releases topping most of his contemporaries’ performances, but his streaming service Tidal, and Yeezy, his clothing brand, often suffer from Kanye’s questionable direction, hurting his net worth. Kanye poured much of his individual funds towards launching the exclusive Yeezy. In 2019, Yeezy was esteemed at over one billion dollars, matching his glamorous wife Kim Kardashian’s evaluation. Pairing this sum with his extraneous financial interests amount to a personal net worth of $1.5 billion.
The West Family
The S.C. Johnson Family – $28.2B
The founding family of famous household goods manufacturer, S.C. Johnson, is next on our list. It is a little-known fact that the S.C. Johnson business, founded in 1886, was originally intended to be a parquet flooring retailer. After formulating a popular brand of floor wax, business began booming and a new empire was born. Far from its small beginnings, the company now creates a wide array of household-name cleaning products (such as Glade and Pledge), as well as other much loved and relied on products like Ziploc bags. Behind this wholesome family brand also lurks a tumultuous history of rabid infighting and family legal drama, the most recent of which began when Herbert Johnson – the family patriarch – died without a will, leaving his heirs to fight tooth and nail over the rights to his great dynasty.
The Johnson Family
The Hastings Family – $2.2B
Being the better-recognized leader within the Hastings group, Reed Hastings is famous for revolutionizing home entertainment by forming Netflix. The software business Adaptive provided the foundation for his genius with his primary technology position, where he developed software for cleaning bugs from programs. He later established Rational Software and Pure Software, then cleverly buying out just before their worth plummeted. When Hastings created Netflix towards the end of the millennium, it was initially an online service solely for renting films, being relatively popular. That being said, it was with the rise of online television streaming that Netflix capitalized on this service and rose to omnipresent levels.
The Hastings Family
The Beveridge Family – $25B
Tito’s Handmade Vodka was brought to life by Bert Beveridge, the name of the company sweetly taken from the patriarch’s nickname, “Tito”. Operating out of Texas, the business quickly found affluence, with the sale of around 45 million drinks. Before vodka, Bert was involved in the gas and oil industry, jet-setting around South American countries like Columbia and Venezuela. He also enjoyed a stint operating and selling mortgages. Interestingly, it was the sweetened vodka he would provide his friends with around Christmas which would form the basis of his business.
The Beveridge Family
The Vandersloot Family – $3.4B
What is known as Oil Melaleuca was actually created by the brother-in-law of Frank Vandersloot, a business which sold tea tree oil. Sadly, the marketplace had little room for this product’s flourishing. Further, the business encountered problems when the FDA charged them with falsely reporting their medical figures towards boosting profits. Vandersloot eventually liquidated the business, in time calling it “a mess” in interviews. That wasn’t the end of Melaleuca, however, as Vandersloot successfully revived it and currently profits off homecare items, cleaning goods and nutritional enhancements.
The Vandersloot Family
The Kibar Family – $2.8B
Looking to lose a few wrinkles? Samumed has got you covered. The successful anti-aging medication manufacturer and biotechnology film was founded by its current CEO, Osman Kibar and is currently valued at a whopping $12.4 billion. A diverse businessman, Kibar has been responsible for the creation of two more companies but has elected not involve himself in their day-to-day management, instead opting to direct his energy towards his first-born success story, Samumed. At its peak, the company was originally owned by international drug conglomerate, Pfizer, who, after a falling out, withdrew from participation in the company, leaving Samumed an independent operation.
The Kibar Family
The Vultaggio Family – $3B
Don Vultaggio is regarded as being rather eccentric, being one-half of Arizona Beverages’ founders, celebrated for manufacturing a vibrant series of sensational iced tea, fruit punch and other juicy goods, the most popular being the “Arnold Palmer” variety of lemonade and chilled tea. Don initially made his money from selling soft drinks and beer out of a van, capitalizing on some of the most commercially neglected (and riskiest) parts of Brooklyn around the 1970s. Commencing with his Brooklyn-based company Arizona at the start of the 90s, it was Don’s innovative and flamboyantly large can product that outdid opponents rapidly. Arizona annually turns almost 3 billion cans, the aforementioned Arnold Palmer beverages and green tea products being the most popular.
The Vultaggio Family
The Bundrant Family – $3B
North America happily hosts its largest vertically-integrated seafood business, called Trident Seafoods, owned by the Bundrant group. Trident Seafoods yields and processes both new and iced fish produce, also managing private advertising too. The Bundrant family’s biggest profits flow from larger franchises such as Safeway, Long John Silver’s, Costco and more takeaway franchises. The business has fostered across the world, with projects in Germany, Japan and China.
The Bundrant Family
The Asness Family – $3B
Led by Cliff Asness, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the Asness group is in the safe hands of a Ph.D. holding former assistant to the celebrated market expert Eugene Fama. Surprisingly, Asness’ thesis challenged his former mentor Fama’s theories on commercial profit formation. Cliff formed a personal finance supervision business, simultaneously assuming the role of activist, frequently protesting the exorbitant costs of hedge fund direction, and coining the term “crony capitalism”.
The Asness Family
The Shah Family – $5.6B
Rishi Shah might be the fledgling son within the Shah family, but he also heads the kingdom. Beginning his sole company currently known as Outcome Health, a veritable champion of healthcare media. Fusing novel technology throughout medical waiting zones, Outcome Health also profits from hospital touchscreen advertising. Rishi’s father, a former doctor, began a separate business, fusing with another company to result in Outcome Health. Rishi now presides over the business as CEO, which is now estimated to be worth $5.6 billion.
The Shah Family
The Ashkenazy Family – $4B
Plenty of the patriarchs on this list started their journeys to unfathomable riches as teenagers, Ben Ashkenazy beginning at 17 with real estate. Initially wishing for a position in which to purchase and establish a takeaway joint, Ben realized that his targets fell far under market worth, rather choosing to lease. Throughout this project, Ben was influenced to commence a real estate project, soon turning into the prominent Ashkenazy Acquisition. The business’ repertoire in valued at around $12 billion, possessing real estate trades, local and international, ranging from marketable, to suburban, to government-owned.
The Ashkenazy Family
The Mellon Family – $11.5B
The Mellon group established the Mellon Bank in 1869, however, their riches were catapulted by savvy investments within Gulf Oil – in time transforming into Chevron-Texaco. More financial projects include Carborundum Corporation, Alcoa and New York Shipbuilding, as well as the media outfit, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Celebrated for a variety of humanitarian initiatives, the Mellons created the National Gallery of Art situated within Washington D.C. The group’s foundations are founded in Ireland, due to the bloodline of a founding family patriarch, called Thomas Mellon, the son of a farming Scottish-Irish couple which in the 19th century transitioned to America.
The Mellon Family
The Kraft Family – $6.6B
Few sports moguls can hope to touch the affluence of Massachusetts’ Robert Kraft tycoon, current owner of the New England Patriots. Robert’s initial profits can be traced to the super acclaimed International Forest Products business. This company produced packaging goods made from paper, supplying them to some of the largest businesses on Earth, such as Kodak, Avon and Quaker Oats. Kraft then used his massive wealth to begin buying sports teams, such as various soccer clubs, not to mention an e-sports club, the New England Patriots being his most prized asset.
The Kraft Family
The Cuban Family – $3.9B
Mark Cuban might have started off as salt of the earth, but today the media tycoon has more than most, such as an NBA basketball team and movie production houses. Primarily pioneering in software and systems catapulted Cuban to his fortunes, quickly electing to seize his potentials and move to Hollywood, establishing the movie box office business 2929 Entertainment. Some of its initial works include George Clooney’s movie Good Night and Good Luck – which rose to independent accomplishment through its six Academy Award nominations. Further film productions, documentaries, as well as buying a majority stake within the basketball team, the Dallas Mavericks escalated Cuban’s net worth to new heights.
The Cuban Family
The Jackson Family – $2B (Estimated)
While the King of Pop has left the living for quite some time now, Michael Jackson’s relatives continue to exponentially profit form his successes on a daily basis. As tragic as his death was, Michael Jackson’s passing prompted countless adoring fans worldwide to purchase his music on a new level. Currently, every one from his direct descendants to his extended relatives continue to rake in millions of dollars from the Jackson portfolio. Although the King of Pop’s reputation may have been sullied by various sordid affairs, these public storms have barely affected his direct and attached profitability, even beyond the grave.
The Jackson Family
The Spielberg Family – $3.7B
Having thrilled the world with some of the most enchanting and successful cinema blockbusters for decades, Steven Spielberg is well-deserving of his position as the second richest director. His cinematic importance has allowed his retired actress wife, Kate Capshaw, and their beloved and expansive family to make the most out of a domain ranging around $3.7 billion in worth. Besides Steven’s Hollywood income, the lion’s share of their worth stems from various real estate ventures, not to mention his reign over DreamWorks Animation.
The Spielberg Family
The Kardashian-Jenner Family – $2B
One cannot list all of America’s wealthiest families without mentioning the Kardashian-Jenner empire, the relatively fledgling Kylie Jenner having attained billionaire status. Popularly attributed to the prevalent reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians, this Armenian-American clan enjoyed one of the lengthiest reality television shows ever. They have companies in the cosmetic and fashion fields, simultaneously being much-admired product endorsers too, earning decent cuts from their social media promotions. Altogether, the Kardashian-Jenner empire is estimated to be over $2 billion, with Kylie Jenner solely becoming one of the United States’ freshest billionaires at age 21 through Kylie Cosmetics.
The Kardashian Jenner Family
The Cannon Family – $50 Million
The versatile Nick Cannon has excelled in acting, rapping and even producing and is acclaimed as one of America’s wealthiest and leading youths. A large portion of his riches stem from his chart-topping music, his beginnings in the formation of rap outfit Da G4 Dope Bomb Squad being the platform for his meteoric fame when he released top singles such as “Can I Live?” and “I’m A Slick Rick”. Nick would soon establish his unique rap label, tailed by the formation of a modest record business. The Nickelodeon channel TeenNick is headed by Cannon as the chairman, paired with a lucrative NBC contract.
The Cannon Family