Big Money

The richest Americans in history

15. Andrew Mellon

richest americans
  • Adjusted wealth*: $63.2 billion
  • Lived: 1855-1937

Though he lived just five years longer than his brother Richard (No. 5), Andrew's ranking is 10 spots lower because the U.S. economy recovered greatly during this time period, lowering his relative wealth.

While Richard's philanthropy focused on Pittsburgh, Andrew was interested in the arts. His donation of 126 famous paintings helped found the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

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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