Big Money

The richest Americans in history

5. Richard Mellon

richest americans
  • Adjusted wealth*: $103 billion
  • Lived: 1858-1933

Richard and brother Andrew (No. 15) were Pittsburgh bankers that had a hand in a variety of burgeoning 19th century industries, including steel, oil, coal and railroads.

In addition to Mellon Bank, the companies they helped found include Gulf Oil and aluminum maker Alcoa (AA).

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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