Richest President Ever?

 

Last week a student asked me, "is President Obama the richest President ever?!?"  Before I could attempt to formulate an answer...the student said, "I read that President Obama and Mitt Romney spent a combined $2 Billion just to get elected...about $35 per second..."  (a very insightful student analysis).

I had some guesses on who the richest were...but considering that every POTUS since 1929 (except Harry Truman) had been a millionaire I had to do a little research.  Here are the Top 10 Richest Presidents in U.S. History...dollar amounts are converted into current net worth values.

1. JFK... 1+ B
2. George Washington...$525 M
3. Thomas Jefferson...$212 M
4. Theodore Roosevelt...$125 M
5. Andrew Jackson...$119 M
6. James Madison...$101 M
7. LBJ...$98 M
8. Herbert Hoover...$75 M
9. FDR...$60 M
10. Bill Clinton...$38 M

Some of the "poorest" presidents (only 9 of 45) were worth less than $1 million...including Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Woodrow Wilson.  BTW...President Obama is worth "only" $11.8 M.  Peanuts compared to Bill Gates $66 B or Warren Buffet's $46 B!!!