Jim Walton
Template:Short description Template:Other people Template:Infobox person
James Carr Walton<ref name=SWGFTSHBS>Template:Cite web</ref> (born June 7, 1948)<ref name="Ortega1999">Template:Cite book</ref> is an American businessman, currently an heir to the fortune of Walmart, the world's largest retailer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of May 2025, Walton is the 12th-richest person in the world, with a net worth of US$114.1 billion according to Forbes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He is the youngest son of Sam Walton.
Early life
Jim Walton was born in Newport, Jackson County, Arkansas, the third child of Walmart co-founder Sam Walton (1918–1992) and Helen Walton (1919–2007), with siblings Rob Walton, Alice Walton, and John Walton (1946 – 2005).<ref name=ForbesJW1309>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Forbes2T2B/><ref name=TWB26JW75>Template:Cite web</ref> Walton graduated from Bentonville High School in 1965, where he was president of his junior class, played football at all-state level and also learned to fly a plane. Walton received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas in 1971, where he was also a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.<ref name=EP/><ref name=ForbesJW1309/><ref name=W1JCW/> In 1972, he joined Walmart and was involved in its real-estate dealings. After four years, he moved to the family owned Walton Enterprises as president in 1975.<ref name=EP>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Ortega1999/>Template:Rp<ref name=TWIARF>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Career
On September 28, 2005, Walton replaced his deceased brother, John, on the Wal-Mart Board of Directors.<ref name=EP/> He was CEO of his family owned Arvest Bank, until becoming Chairman of Arvest Bank, and chairman of newspaper firm Community Publishers Inc. (CPI) owned by Jim Walton himself (but founded by his father Sam Walton after acquiring the local newspaper the Benton County Daily Record, both operating in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma<ref name=TWIARF/><ref name=JCWCCABGI>Template:Cite web</ref>). He has pledged about $2 billion to the Walton Family Foundation along with his siblings from 2008 to 2013.<ref name=ForbesJW1309/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In September 2016, Walton was reported to own over 152 million of Walmart shares worth over $11 billion (US).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
He and his wife, Lynne McNabb Walton, have four children: Alice A. "Annie" Proietti (born November 1979),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Steuart Walton (born April 1981), Thomas Layton "Tom" Walton (born September 1983), and James M. Walton (born August 1987). The family resides in Bentonville, Arkansas.<ref name=W1JCW>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2014, he was ranked at #10 on the Forbes list of billionaires with a net worth of $34.7 billion that has increased by $3 billion.<ref name=Forbes2T2B>Template:Cite web</ref> On the 2013 Forbes 400 list of the richest people in America he is ranked at #7.<ref name=ForbesTF400TRPA>Template:Cite web</ref> As of March 2019, he was ranked as the 16th-richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $45.7 billion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of September 28, 2024, Jim Walton was ranked at #17 on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a net worth of $102 billion<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with a $ YTD change of +$29.8B.