List of richest American politicians
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Template:Short description Template:Update Template:Use mdy dates This list of richest American politicians includes current and former office-holders and political appointees, and is not necessarily adjusted for inflation. Estimated wealth is at least $100 million in 2012 dollars, for all the people listed here. The amounts listed here do not necessarily pertain to the politicians' time in office (i.e. some of them may have gotten much richer later on, or lost their money before they ran for office).
Presidents
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| Name | Party | Date(s) | Estimated wealth Template:Small |
Source of wealth | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump | Republican | 2017–2021
2025-present |
$5.6 billion Template:Small<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Inheritance, business, real estate, reality TV personality |
| George Washington | Independent | 1789–1797 | $525 million Template:Small<ref name="Atlantic">Template:Cite news</ref> | Inheritance, business, marriage | |
| Thomas Jefferson | Democratic-Republican | 1801–1809 | $212 million Template:Small<ref name=Atlantic/> | Inheritance, business | |
| Theodore Roosevelt | Republican | 1901–1909 | $125 million Template:Small<ref name=Atlantic/> | Inheritance | |
| John F. Kennedy | Democratic | 1961–1963 | $124 million Template:Small<ref>Glen Vecchione, The Little Giant Book of American Presidents, page 135 (Sterling Publishing Company 2007).</ref> | Inheritance | |
| Andrew Jackson | Democratic | 1829–1837 | $119 million Template:Small<ref name=Atlantic/> | Marriage, business, real estate | |
| James Madison | Democratic-Republican | 1809–1817 | $101 million Template:Small<ref name=Atlantic/> | Inheritance, business |
Unsuccessful presidential candidates
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| Name | Party | Position | Estimated wealth Template:Small |
Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Bloomberg | Democratic (before 2001, 2018–present) Independent (2007–2018) Republican (2001–2007) |
Mayor of New York City (2002–2013) Candidate for U.S. President (2020) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. | |
| Ross Perot | Independent (before 1995) Reform (1995–2000) Republican (2000–2019) |
Member of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board (1981–85) Member of the Select Committee on Public Education (1983) Candidate for U.S. President (1992, 1996) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Founded Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems | |
| Tom Steyer | Democratic | Candidate for U.S. President (2020) | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Founder of Farallon Capital | |
| Henry Ford | Republican (before 1918) Democratic (after 1918) |
Candidate for U.S. President (1916) Candidate for U.S. Senator from Michigan (1918) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Founder of Ford Motor Company | |
| Doug Burgum | Republican | Governor of North Dakota (2017–2024) Candidate for U.S. President (2024) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Founded and Sold Great Plains Software to Microsoft | |
| Vivek Ramaswamy | Republican | Candidate for U.S. President (2024) Candidate for Governor of Ohio (2026) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Founder and CEO of Roivant Sciences and Strive Asset Management<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Nelson Rockefeller | Republican | Governor of New York (1959–1973) Candidate for U.S. President (1960, 1964, 1968) Vice President of the United States (1974–77) |
$1 billion<ref>Geri Spieler, Taking Aim at the President: The Remarkable Story of the Woman Who Shot at Gerald Ford, page 135 (Macmillan 2008)</ref> | Inheritance, grandson of John D. Rockefeller | ||
| Steve Forbes | Republican | Member of the Board for International Broadcasting (1985–1993) Candidate for U.S. President (1996, 2000) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Editor, publisher | |
| Kanye West | Independent Birthday Party<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Candidate for U.S. President (2020) | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Founder of GOOD Music, CEO of Donda, rapper, fashion designer |
| John Delaney | Democrat | U.S. Representative from Maryland (2013–2019) Candidate for U.S. President (2020) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Entrepreneur, co-founder of Health Care Financial Partners and CapitolSource | |
| John Kerry | Democratic | U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (1985–2013) Democratic nominee for U.S. President (2004) Secretary of State (2013–2017) |
$200 million<ref name="Roll Call"/> | Marriage to Teresa Heinz, the widow of John Heinz, heir to the H. J. Heinz Company | ||
| Mitt Romney | Independent (before 1993) Republican (1993–present) |
Candidate for U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (1994) Governor of Massachusetts (2003–2007) Republican nominee for U.S. President (2012) U.S. Senator from Utah (2019–present) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Former CEO of Bain Capital and Bain & Company, son of Michigan Governor George W. Romney | |
| Ted Kennedy | Democratic | U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (1962–2009) Candidate for U.S. President (1980) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Inherited stake in the Chicago Merchandise Mart | |
| Al Gore | Democratic | U.S. Representative from Tennessee (1977–1985) U.S. Senator from Tennessee (1985–1993) Vice President (1993–2001) Candidate for U.S. President (1988, 2000) |
$100 million<ref>"Bill Clinton, Al Gore Get Rich After White House", ABC News (June 15, 2007).</ref> | Son of attorney and Tennessee U.S. Senator Albert Gore Sr., who owned a stake in Occidental Petroleum, book and film deals | ||
| John Hancock | Federalist | President of the Continental Congress (1775–1777, 1785–86) Governor of Massachusetts (1780–85, 1787–93) Candidate for U.S. President (1788) |
$100 million<ref>Robert Leckie. George Washington's War: The Saga of the American Revolution, page 53 (HarperCollins 1993).</ref> | Inherited a profitable mercantile business from his uncle | ||
| Hillary Clinton | Democratic (1968–present) | First Lady of the United States (1993–2001) U.S. Senator from New York (2001–2009) Candidate for U.S. President (2008, 2016) Secretary of State (2009–2013) |
$52–111 million<ref>Hillary Clinton net worth, moneynation.com; accessed September 16, 2016.</ref> | Book deals and public speaking fees from foreign/domestic sources | ||
| James M. Cox | Democratic | U.S. Representative from Ohio (1909–1913) Governor of Ohio (1913–15, 1917–21) Democratic nominee for U.S. President (1920) |
$40 million (D. 1950)<ref>Dayton Daily News history: James M. Cox, Publisher", Dayton Daily News; accessed August 19, 2012.</ref> | Founded a chain of newspapers that continues today as Cox Enterprises | ||
| Samuel J. Tilden | Democratic | Chair of the New York Democratic Party (1866–1874) Governor of New York (1875–1876) Democratic nominee for U.S. President (1876) |
$8.5 million (D. 1886)<ref>Rossiter Johnson and John Howard Brown. The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans (Biographical Society 1904).</ref> | Law practice, investments, and inheritance of Tilden's Extract |
Other U.S. politicians
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| Name | Party | Position | Net worth | Source (Notes) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elon Musk | Independent | Senior Advisor to the President (2025)
Leader of DOGE (2025) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
CEO and primary shareholder of Tesla, Inc., founder and CEO of SpaceX, owner of Twitter, co-founder of Neuralink, co-founder of xAI, and co-founder of PayPal | ||
| Walter J. Kohler, Jr. | Republican | Governor of Wisconsin (1951–1957) Candidate for U.S. Senator from Wisconsin (1957) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Owner of Vollrath | ||
| Rick Caruso | Democratic | Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles (2022) | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Owner-founder of Caruso | ||
| Ronald Lauder | Republican | Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO policy (1984–1986) Ambassador to Austria (1986–1987) Candidate for Mayor of New York (1989) |
$4.6 billion | Co-owner of Estée Lauder, owner of Central European Media Enterprises | |||
| JB Pritzker | Democratic | Governor of Illinois (2019–present) | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Inheritance, family owns the Hyatt hotel chain | ||
| Penny Pritzker | Democratic | Secretary of Commerce (2013–2017) Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery (2023–2025) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Inheritance, family owns the Hyatt hotel chain | ||
| Bill Haslam | Republican | Mayor of Knoxville (2003–2011) Governor of Tennessee (2011–2019) |
$2 billion<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Son of Jim Haslam, founder of Pilot Corporation, and former CEO of the e-commerce and catalog division of Saks Fifth Avenue | |||
| Mark Dayton | Democratic | Auditor of Minnesota (1991–1995) U.S. Senator from Minnesota (2001–2007) Governor of Minnesota (2011–2019) |
$1.6 billion | Great-grandson of George Dayton, the founder of Target<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||
| Betsy DeVos | Republican | Chair of the Michigan Republican Party (1996–2000; 2003–2005) Secretary of Education (2017–2021) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Daughter of Edgar Prince, founder of Prince Corporation; daughter-in-law of Richard DeVos, co-founder of Amway; sister of Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater | ||
| Jim Justice | Republican (before 2015, 2017–present) Democratic (2015–2017) |
Governor of West Virginia (2017–2025) United States Senator from West Virginia (2025–present) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Inherited ownership of Bluestone Industries and Bluestone Coal Corporation, founder of Bluestone Farms. Owner of 70 active mines in 5 states as of 2014. As of 2025 James Justice has a negative net worth. https://fortune.com/2025/10/24/jim-justice-former-governor-west-virginia-senator-billionaire-new-worth/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2025/01/10/this-former-billionaire-and-new-us-senator-is-now-broke/ | ||
| Winthrop Paul Rockefeller | Republican | Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas (1996–2006) | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Member of the Rockefeller Family |
| Richard C. Blum | Democratic | First gentleman of San Francisco (1980–1988) Regent of the University of California (2002–2022) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
President of Blum Capital | ||
| Linda McMahon | Republican | Candidate for U.S. Senate from Connecticut (2010; 2012) Administrator of the Small Business Administration (2017–2019) Secretary of Education (2025–incumbent) |
$938 million–1.1 billion<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Married to Vince McMahon, who inherited the professional wrestling business founded by his grandfather, Jess McMahon, now known as WWE | |||
| Herb Kohl | Democrat | U.S. Senator from Wisconsin (1989–2012) | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Inheritance, son of Max Kohl, founder of Kohl's; former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA | ||
| C. S. Mott | Republican | Mayor of Flint, Michigan (1912–1914; 1918–1919) | $800 million | Co-founder of General Motors | |||
| Wilbur Ross | Republican | Secretary of Commerce (2017–2021) | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Founder of private equity firm WL Ross & Co | ||
| Scott Bessent | Republican | Secretary of the Treasury (2025–incumbent) | $521 million | Founder of Key Square Group, real estate investor | |||
| Kelly Loeffler | Republican | U.S. Senator from Georgia (2020–2021) | $500 million+<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Married to Jeffrey Sprecher, founder and CEO of Intercontinental Exchange | |||
| Jane Harman | Democratic | United States Representative (1993–1999; 2001–2011) | $500 millionTemplate:Citation needed | Inheritance, home and car audio manufacturing corporation | |||
| Bruce Rauner | Republican | Governor of Illinois (2015–2019) | $500 million+ | Chairman of GTCR | |||
| Amo Houghton | Republican | U.S. Representative from New York (1987–2005) | $475 million<ref name="ABC20021104">A Look at America's Richest Politicians, ABC News; accessed November 11, 2016.</ref> | Former CEO and descendant of the founder of Corning Glass Works | |||
| Glenn Youngkin | Republican | Governor of Virginia (2022–incumbent) | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Former CEO of The Carlyle Group | ||
| Jared Polis | Democratic | U.S. Representative from Colorado (2009–2019) Governor of Colorado (2019–incumbent) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Founder of ProFlowers | ||
| Phil Bredesen | Democratic | Mayor of Nashville (1993–1999) Governor of Tennessee (2003–2011) |
Up to $358 million | Founder of HealthAmerica Corporation | |||
| Rex Tillerson | Republican | Secretary of State (2017–2018) | $325 million<ref name=Forbes161222/> | Former CEO of ExxonMobil | |||
| Greg Gianforte | Republican | U.S. Representative from Montana (2017–2021) Governor of Montana (2021–incumbent) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Founder of RightNow Technologies | ||
| Gina Raimondo | Democratic | General Treasurer of Rhode Island (2011–2015) Governor of Rhode Island (2015–2021) Secretary of Commerce (2021–2025) |
$300 million<ref name="ABC20021104"/> | Founder of Judith Point Capital, venture capitalist, and fund development executive | |||
| Jon Corzine | Democratic | U.S. Senator from New Jersey (2001–2006) Governor of New Jersey (2006–2010) |
$300 million<ref name="ABC20021104"/> | Former CEO of Goldman Sachs | |||
| Terry Kohler | Republican | Candidate for Governor of Wisconsin (1982) | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Member of the Kohler Family | ||
| Steven Mnuchin | Republican | Secretary of the Treasury (2017–2021) | $300 million<ref name=Forbes161222/> | Former executive of Goldman Sachs | |||
| Michael McCaul | Republican | U.S. Representative from Texas (2005–incumbent) | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Son-in-law of Lowry Mays, founder of Clear Channel Communications | ||
| Rick Scott | Republican | Governor of Florida (2011–2019) U.S. Senator from Florida (2019–incumbent) |
$255 million<ref>Rick Scott reveals highest-ever family assets of at least $255 million, tampabay.com (July 2018).</ref> | Founder of Columbia Hospital Corporation | |||
| Mark Warner | Democratic | Chair of the Virginia Democratic Party (1993–1995) Candidate for U.S. Senator from Virginia (1996) Governor of Virginia (2002–2006) U.S. Senator from Virginia (2009–incumbent) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Early investor in Nextel Communications | ||
| Dan Goldman | Democratic | Candidate for Attorney General of New York (2022) U.S. Representative from New York (2023–incumbent) |
$253 million<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Heir to the Levi's fortune | |||
| Darrell Issa | Republican | Candidate for U.S. Senate from California (1998) U.S. Representative from California (2001–2019; 2021–incumbent) Nominee for Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (2019) |
$220 million<ref name="Roll Call"/> | Founder of Directed Electronics | |||
| Rick Snyder | Republican | Governor of Michigan (2011–2019) | $220 million | Business, venture capital/investment | |||
| Elizabeth Frawley Bagley | Democratic | Ambassador to Portugal (1994–1997) Special Advisor to the Secretary of State (2010–2013; 2014–2017) Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly (2012) Ambassador to Brazil (2023–incumbent) |
$220 million | Widow of Smith Bagley, co-owner of Cellular One | |||
| Trudy Busch Valentine | Democratic | Candidate for U.S. Senator from Missouri (2022) | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Daughter of Gussie Busch | ||
| Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. | Democratic | Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (1934–1935) Chair of the Maritime Commission (1937–1938) U.S. Ambassador to the UK (1938–1940) |
$200–400 million<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> | Stock investor, real estate investor, executive at Bethlehem Steel, organizer of RKO, financier of Hollywood films, owner of the distribution rights to Scotch whiskey in the United States, owner of Merchandise Mart, and President of Columbia Trust Bank | |||
| Oveta Culp Hobby | Democratic (before 1953) Republican (after 1953) |
Administrator of the Federal Security Agency (1953) Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (1953–1955) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Owner of the Houston Post | ||
| Gordon Sondland | Republican | Oregon State Liaison to the White House (2003–2007) Member of the Commission on White House Fellows (2007–2010) Ambassador to the European Union (2018–2020) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Chairman of Provenance Hotels | ||
| Carl Paladino | Democratic (before 2005) Republican (2005–present) |
Candidate for Governor of New York (2010) Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York (2022) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Retail real estate developer | ||
| Gino Campana | Republican | Fort Collins City Councillor (2013–2017) Candidate for Senator from Colorado (2022) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Real estate developer | ||
| Ralph K. Davies | Democratic | Deputy Administrator of the Petroleum Administration for War (1942–1946) | $127 million | Chairman of American President Lines Standard Oil executive | |||
| Bernie Moreno | Republican | Candidate for U.S. Senator from Ohio (2022) U.S. Senator from Ohio (2025–incumbent) |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Car dealerships, blockchain investments | ||
| Mehmet Oz | Republican | Candidate for U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania (2022) | $100–$500 million | Reality television personality | |||
| Arnold Schwarzenegger | Republican | Governor of California (2003–2011) | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Real estate, acting | ||
| Heidi Ganahl | Republican | Regent of the University of Colorado (2017–2023) Republican Nominee for Governor of Colorado (2022) |
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}}</ref> |
Founder and CEO of Camp Bow Wow |