Fortune published the updated list of the wealthiest people in American history, using their networth as a % of GDP to standardize figures. Some I had never heard of and some I was surprised by. I was also amazed that at his peak, John D Rockefeller's wealth = 1/65th total GDP...
Name Net Worth %of GDP
1. Rockefeller $1.4B 1/65
2. Cornelius Vanderbilt $105m 1/87
3. John Jacob Astor $20m 1/107
4. Stephen Girard $7.5m 1/150 (who???)
5. Bill Gates $82B 1/152
6. Andrew Carnegie $475m 1/166
7. Alexander Stewart $50m 1/178 (who again..Merchant Prince?)
8. Frederick Weyerhauser $200m 1/182
9. Jay Gould $77m 1/185
10.Stephen Van Rensslelaer $10m 1/194
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I'd like to see a list of the most powerful individuals through capital influencing abilities, such as JP Morgan in his prime, Buffett's control of Berkshire Hathaway, Michael Milken, and LTCM or Kravis & Roberts with the capital and leverage ability of their funds.
Posted by: Ayal Rosenthal | March 03, 2007 at 01:51 PM
I have always been amazed that Morgan, who is often the name that comes up most frequently (and whose name is on the second largest bank in the world), had only a fraction of Rockefeller's wealth (around $100m+ vs. $1.4b). Just goes to show that it pays better to be the entrepreneur (successful) than the financial backer...
Posted by: mbmccall | March 04, 2007 at 10:46 PM