The 12 Most Richest Presidents In US History

The richest of US Presidents hardly got rich off of politics. There are some who ended up being broke and penniless after their presidency term lapsed, while others used their position to get even richer than before. As we all know that the President is paid a stipend after they retire from Presidential duties and leave the White House for good, but this certainly does not make them rich. Presidents of the far yesteryears multiplied their wealth by marrying into money, investing well or by owning land and slaves. Their modern-day counterparts (post-Nixon) made a bulk of their money from authoring books and their many speaking engagements.

We know you’re curious to find out which POTUS ranks the wealthiest among all the other POTUS-es! Let’s begin this countdown, shall we?

12) John Tyler, net worth ~ $57 million

He was the first man to be chosen to be the de facto Pesident as the President at the time, died. Tyler’s fortune was amassed more from inheritance and marriage than from his political career.  His father is said to have gifted him a tobacco plantation spread across 1,000 acres of land, the profits of which he enjoyed for a long time.

11) Franklin Delano Roosevelt, net worth ~ $60 million

It would be correct to say that FDR was born with a silver spoon and enjoyed a privileged upbringing. Both his paternal and maternal families also had quite a fortune. He was also lucky enough to marry a wealthy lady by the name of Eleanor, so that was good for his final net worth as well.

10) Herbert Hoover, net worth ~ $75 million

Hoover made all of his fortune from the mining industry, as he was a mining company’s executive and bought shares and stakes in other mining businesses, as well. It was said that he donated all his presidential salary away to charities.

9) Bill Clinton, net worth ~ $80 million

Clinton’s primary sources of wealth, at the moment, are his consultancy services, speaking engagements and book deals and sales. He is reportedly paid anywhere between $150000 and $700,000 for just one speech!

8) Lyndon Baines Johnson, net worth ~ $98 million

There was no inheritance money in the name of LBJ, as his father lost most of his fortune when Johnson was just a little boy. Over time, Johnson was able to buy some 1,500 acres of land, a TV and radio station too. He also invested money in livestock and private airplanes, which yielded good profits for him.

7) James Madison, net worth ~ $101 million

We would have to say that James Madison was extremely wealthy, solely based on the fact that he was the largest landowner (over 5,000 acres) in the county of Orange, Virginia. He kept his net worth high through his earnings as Secretary of State and later on, as President.

6) Andrew Jackson, net worth ~ $119 million

During his times, scores of people thought of Andrew Jackson to be one with the common man he was presiding over, but he was anything but common. He earned a lot of wealth by being in the military, marrying into a wealthy family and making various land purchases.

5) Theodore Roosevelt, net worth ~ $124 million

When you’re a member of a wealthy family, it is a given that you will inherit some of that wealth, and that’s exactly what happened with Roosevelt. However, he was not very good at keeping this money and lost quite a bit of it when he made some bad investment choices.

4) Thomas Jefferson, net worth ~ $212 million

The third President of USA and the drafter of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson, also inherited his money. That is how he took possession of the Monticello Estate, 3,000 acres of land and several slaves to work for him. In the end, however, he was almost bankrupt.

3) George Washington, net worth ~ $525 million

George Washington had the distinction of being the first President of USA and also one of the wealthiest, owning lands spread across 50,000 acres. Not to forget, he earned one of the highest salaries ever as a US President.

2) John F. Kennedy, net worth ~ $1 billion

Had JFK not been assassinated, he would have inherited most, if not all, of his father’s inheritance. He also married into wealth, with Jacqueline’s family being quite well placed.

1) Donald Trump, net worth ~ $3.1 billion

Not that this was a surpise, but the wealthiest POTUS has to be The Donald, and with his estimated $3.1 billion net worth, he is likely to occupy this spot for some time. Before being the President, he was a businessman, investing in real estate and resorts and trying to multiply his father’s inheritance money.