Big Money

The richest Americans in history

11. Marshall Field

richest americans
  • Adjusted wealth*: $75 billion
  • Lived: 1834-1906

Field founded the now-closed Marshall Field's department store chain, with a flagship store in Chicago.

Field pushed concepts that were innovative for the time -- including store credit, a return policy, and in-store restaurants. The stores were eventually acquired by the Macy's chain and have since been renamed.

First published June 2, 2014: 6:18 PM ET
Source: *Most nominal wealth estimates are from The Wealthy 100 by Michael Klepper and Robert Gunther, and include wealth at time of death, including bequests. Estimates were then calculated as a fraction of the overall economy at time of death by Sam Williamson of Measuring Worth, and then presented in 2013 dollars based on the size of the current U.S. economy. Estimates for Gates and Buffett provided by Wealth-X.

Biographical information from The Wealthy 100 by Michael Klepper and Robert Gunther, Encyclopedia Britannica, and The Prize by Daniel Yergin.

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