Big Money

The richest Americans in history

6. Andrew Carnegie

richest americans
  • Adjusted wealth*: $101 billion (tie)
  • Lived: 1835-1919

Founder of the Carnegie Steel Company, Carnegie is perhaps even more famous for giving his fortune away.

After selling his steel behemoth to J.P. Morgan's U.S. Steel, Carnegie established a number of philanthropic and non-profit organizations including the Carnegie Corporation, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and nearly 3,000 public libraries.

A "man who dies rich dies disgraced," he wrote in Wealth, his most famous essay.

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.

Latest Galleries

Partner Offers

LendingTree




Most Popular