The 10 Richest U.S. Presidents

10. John Fitzgerald Kennedy
> Net worth: $1 billion (never inherited his father’s fortune)
> In office: 1961 to 1963
> 35th president
John F. Kennedy was born into wealth. His father was one of the wealthiest men in America and the first chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. His wife–Jacqueline–was an oil heiress. Almost all of JFK’s income and property came from a trust shared with other family members.
9. William Jefferson Clinton
> Net Worth: $60 million
> In office: 1993 – 2001
> 42nd president
Unlike several presidents, Bill Clinton did not inherit any wealth and gained little net worth during his 20 plus years of public service. After his time in the White House, however, he earned a substantial income as an author and public speaker. In 2005, Clinton earned a $15 million advance on his book “My Life.” In 2011, the former president was paid $750,000 alone to speak in Hong Kong for Ericsson. According to the Washington Post, Clinton earned $1.4 million in speaking fees over just one week in June 2012. By 2013, the former president was estimated to have earned well over $100 million since leaving office. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has started contributing to the family fortune since leaving office, In 2014, she received a $14 million advance for her autobiography ”Hard Choices”. Additionally, it is reported that she has been earning more than $200,000 per speech. As of the middle of last year, the former secretary of state had earned $12 million from speaking fees and book sales since she left public office.


8. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
> Net worth: $60 million
> In office: 1933 to 1945
> 32nd president
Roosevelt’s wealth came through inheritance and marriage. He owned the 800-acre Springwood estate, as well as properties in Georgia, Maine, and New York. In 1919, his mother had to bail him out of financial difficulty. He spent most of his adult life in public service. Before he was president, Roosevelt was appointed assistant secretary of the Navy by President Wilson.


7. Herbert Clark Hoover
> Net worth: $75 million
> In office: 1929 to 1933
> 31st president

An orphan, Hoover was raised by his uncle, a doctor. Hoover made a fortune as a mining company executive. He had a generous salary for 17 years and had extensive holdings in mining companies. Hoover donated his presidential salary to charity. He also owned “Hoover House” in Monterey, Calif.

6. Lyndon Baines Johnson
> Net worth: $98 million
> In office: 1963 to 1969
> 36th president
Johnson’s father lost all the family’s money when LBJ was a boy. Over time, the 36th president had accumulated 1,500 acres in Blanco County, Texas, which included his home, called the Texas White House. He and his wife owned a radio and television station in Austin, Texas, and they had a variety of other moderate holdings, including livestock and private aircraft.

5. James Madison
> Net worth: $101 million
> In office: 1809 to 1817
> 4th president
Madison was the largest landowner in Orange County, Virginia. His land holding consisted of 5,000 acres and the Montpelier estate. He made significant wealth as Secretary of State and president. Madison lost money at the end of his life due to the steady financial collapse of his plantation.

4. Andrew Jackson
> Net worth: $119 million
> In office: 1829 to 1837
> 7th president

 

While he was considered to be in touch with the average middle-class American, Jackson quietly became one of the wealthiest presidents of the 1800s. “Old Hickory” married into wealth and made money in the military. His homestead, The Hermitage, included 1,050 acres of prime real estate. Over the course of his life, he owned as many as 300 slaves. Jackson entered considerable debt later in life.

3. Theodore Roosevelt
> Net worth: $125 million
> In office: 1901 to 1909
> 26th president
Born to a prominent and wealthy family, Roosevelt received a sizable trust fund. He lost most of his money on a ranching venture in the Dakotas and had to work as an author to pay the bills. Roosevelt spent most of his adult years in public service. His 235-acre estate, Sagamore Hill, now sits on some of the most valuable real estate in Long Island.

2. Thomas Jefferson
> Net worth: $212 million
> In office: 1801 to 1809
> 3rd president
Jefferson was left 3,000 acres and several dozen slaves by his father. Monticello, Jefferson’s home on a 5,000-acre plantation in Virginia, was one of the architectural wonders of its time. He made considerable money in various political positions before becoming president, but he was mired in debt towards the end of his life.

1. George Washington
> Net worth: $525 million
> In office: 1789 to 1797
> 1st president
Washington’s Virginia plantation, Mount Vernon, consisted of five separate farms on 8,000 acres of prime farmland run by more than 300 slaves. His wife, Martha, inherited significant property from her father. As president, Washington earned well more than subsequent presidents: his salary was 2% of the total U.S. budget in 1789.



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