Born Billionaires: The Murdoch Family Is Among The Richest In America (The Wealthiest American Families)
Some families in the United States are worth billions. From working in computer software to establishing successful casinos and hotels on the Las Vegas strip, these wealthy families have made their fortunes in many different ways.
Now, it's time to take notes and learn more about some of the wealthiest families in America.
The Mars Family: $94 Billion
Initially, Franklin Mars's candy venture failed. That is until he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, created malt-flavored nougat, and founded Mars, Incorporated, a company that would invent the Milky Way, Snickers bar, and even M&M candies!
With his insane success in the candy industry, the Mars family is worth a fortune of $94 billion.
The Lauder Family: $40 Billion
The Lauder family fortune comes from Estée Lauder's brilliant business plan. With the help of her husband Joseph, Estée created a cosmetics company under her name. It took off, and Time magazine even named Estée one of the biggest business geniuses of the 20th century.
Founded in 1946, the cosmetic company is still going strong, allowing the Lauder family's net worth to grow to $40 billion.
The Spielberg Family: $3.6 Billion
The Spielberg family isn't short on change, thanks primarily to patriarch Steven Spielberg's contributions to cinema. As a director, Spielberg has created some of the most groundbreaking films in cinema, including Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Indiana Jones.
He's also one of the co-founders of DreamWorks studios, a feat that adds to his family's net worth of $3.6 billion.
The Ziff Family: $9.6 Billion
In the late 1920s, William Bernard Ziff Sr. founded the Ziff Davis Publishing Company. Under the leadership of Sr.'s son, the publishing house made the family a fortune throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
Then, in 1994, Dirk and Daniel Ziff took the family money and created Ziff Brothers Investments, increasing the family net worth to $9.6 billion.
The Wynn Family: $3.3 Billion
Steve Wynn is the patriarch of the Wynn family and has accrued a lot of wealth throughout the years. He began his business ventures in the casino and hotel industry, where he established several luxury spots in Las Vegas, including the Golden Nugget, Treasure Island, and the Bellagio.
And let's not forget his line of hotels, Wynn Resorts. All of his business dealings have the Wynn family net worth around $3.3 billion.
The Murdoch Family: $17.1 Billion
Rupert Murdoch pretty much controls media with his company News Corp. The family owns Fox News, HarperCollins Publishing House, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, The Daily Telegraph, The Sun, The Times, Herald Sun, and The Australian.
Rupert accrued a solid fortune for the Murdoch family with his global reach, a net worth of $17.1 billion.
The Bezos Family: $200 Billion
Jeff Bezos took a small book-selling program and turned it into a multi-billion dollar company, becoming one of the richest men in the world in the process. Since starting Amazon in 1994, the Bezos family net worth has done nothing but go up.
Bezos could even fund a trip to space with the family's net worth of almost $200 billion.
The Kraft Family: $8.3 Billion
Before owning one of the biggest franchises in the NFL, Robert Kraft was all about the Kraft Group, a holding company working in real estate development, paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, and a private equity folder.
Then, in 1994, he purchased the New England Patriots, an investment that paid off. He also founded the soccer team, the New England Revolution. Due to his pricey investments, the Kraft family's net worth is a high $8.3 billion.
The Koch Family: $99 Billion
The Koch Family is one of the wealthiest in not only the United States but the world. Starting with Fred C. Koch, he founded the chemical engineering firm Koch Industries. It would go on to become the second-largest private company in the US.
After his passing, Fred's sons, Charles and David, took over, bringing the company to new heights. Together, the Koch family fortune almost exceeds $100 billion.
The Hearst Family: $21 Billion
In 1887, William Randolph Hearst took over the San Francisco Examiner, a newspaper that would soon introduce the world to "yellow journalism." Over the years, he expanded his media reach and created Hearst Communications, a company the family still owns today.
The heir to the family fortune is model Lydia Hearst. The net worth she inherited -- a staggering $21 billion.
The Cuban Family: $4.5 Billion
Mark Cuban has made an astounding amount of money for his family. Starting in computer software, Cuban moved his way up the ladder and eventually made millions. He bought the NBA team, the Dallas Mavericks, and is even one of the leading investors on the popular television show Shark Tank.
Needless to say, his wife and two children (not to mention grandchildren) aren't going to need anything with his estimated net worth of $4.5 billion.
The Dorrance Family: $2.6 Billion
In 1897, John Dorrance invented a way to condense soup, revolutionizing the food industry, particularly canned foods. From there, he bought out Campbell Soup Company from the Campbell family and would turn the company into one of the longest-lasting brands in America.
As of 2021, the Dorrance family still owns Campbell, their fortune $2.6 billion.
The Gallo Family: $10.7 Billion
Founded in 1933 by Ernest and Julio Gallo, E & J Gallo Winery has become the largest exporter of California wine. Located in Modesto, California, the family's company has since branched off into other ventures, such as Joseph Gallo Cheese (the perfect partner of wine!)
As a popular wine brand, the family has accrued a fortune of $10.7 billion.
The Marshall Family: $20 Billion
During his life, J. Howard Marshall accrued a solid amount of money for his family. A businessman and investor, Marshall owned 16% of Koch Industries, invested in the petroleum industry, and was even the Assistant Dean at Yale Law School for some time.
Marchall's insane resume left his family with a net worth of $20 billion. With such a large estate, Marshall's family brought his widow, Anna Nicole Smith, to court.
The Butt Family: $17.8 Billion
Florence Butt had no idea that the grocery store she opened in 1905 was going to grow into a massively successful and profitable chain. Wanting to find income to help pay for her husband Henry's medical bills, Florence opened C.C. Butt Grocery Store in Kerrville, Texas.
Years later, the Butt family owns over H-E-B grocery stores, a massive chain that has shot the family's net worth up to $17.8 billion.
The Duncan Family: $22 Billion
Coming from a low-income family in Shelby Country, Texas, Dan Duncan made quite a life and fortune for himself after founding and taking Enterprise Products Partners LP public. The company soon became the largest provider of gas and oil pipelines in the country.
The Duncan family has a net worth of $22 billion.
The Stryker Family: $11.1 Billion
Ever since surgeon Homer Stryker founded the Stryker Corporation in 1941, the family has been a prominent force in the medical technology field. Some of the aspects the corporation focuses on are implants for joint replacements, neurovascular and spinal devices, and surgical navigation systems.
With all of their contributions to the field, the Stryker family has amassed a fortune of $11.1 billion.
The Getty Family: $5.4 Billion
In 1904, George Getty began amassing the family fortune with the success of his company, the Minnehoma Oil Company. Years later, he and his son founded Getty Oil. Even though the company fell on hard times and became defunct in 2012, the family is still worth a fortune.
The Getty family's net worth is $5.4 billion.
The Kardashian-Jenner Family: $2 Billion
Taking their significant others out of the equation, the Kardashian-Jenner family is worth a staggering amount of money in their own right. Between Kylie Cosmetics, Kendall's supermodel status, and the rest of the women being reality stars with clothing lines, the family is rolling in a lot of dough.
Adding all of their earnings together, the Kardashian-Jenner family's net worth is around $2 billion.
The Johnson Family: $30 Billion
The Johnson family fortune started in 1886, with the founding of S.C. Johnson & Sons, a company that deals with household cleaning supplies, starting with floor wax. It soon turned into a multi-billion dollar corporation and a popular household name.
The Johnson family has amassed a fortune of $30 billion.
The Cargill-MacMillan Family: $38.8 Billion
W. W. Cargill began a small grain company back in 1865, Cargill, something that exploded into a mega-corporation come the 21st century. By 2008, Cargill became the largest privately held American corporation in terms of revenue.
And that revenue stream kept increasing once Cargill's son-in-law John MacMillan took over the business, increasing the Cargill-MacMillan family's net worth to an estimated $38.8 billion.
The Jobs Family: $21.7 Billion
As the CEO and co-founder of Apple Inc., Steve Jobs left his family with a pretty sum of money after he passed away. Pretty much bringing smart technology into everyday life and having stocks in Disney as well as Apple, Jobs left his wife and children with billions.
The Jobs family fortune is around $21.7 billion.
The Walton Family: $235 billion
What started as nothing more than a small Ben Franklin variety store in Arkansas turned into two of the largest retail chains in the country, Walmart and Sam's Club. The first Walmart opened in 1962, and, from there, the family's fortune kept rising.
With over 10,000 Walmart locations worldwide and 599 Sam's Club stores in the US, the Walton family's net worth is around $235 billion.
The Cathy Family: $7.1 Billion
In 1946, S. Truett Cathy founded the fast-food chain Chick-fil-A, originally Dwarf Grill. Since opening the first location in Hapeville, Georgia, the chain has grown to 2,697 restaurants throughout the United States and Canada and is one of the most popular chicken chains around.
Due to Chick-fil-A's popularity, the Cathy family has secured a $7.1 billion fortune.
The Buffett Family: $100.9 Billion
Warren Buffett's extreme business prowess and investing smarts have earned his family a boatload of money. He's the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, a company that owns establishments like Dairy Queen, GEICO, Fruit of the Loom, The Coca-Cola Company, and more.
With shares in a lot of popular companies, the Buffett family fortune is around $100.9 billion.
The Brown Family: $12.3 Billion
In 1870, George Gavin Brown came up with the idea to bottle whiskey in a glass container, thus changing the spirits industry forever. He founded the Brown-Forman Corporation, buying and bottling brands such as Jack Daniels and Herradura tequila.
The Brown family owns more than half of the company, with their net worth amassing $12.3 billion.
The Newhouse Family: $19.4 Billion
In 1922, Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr. founded Advance Publications, a media company that took off and acquired majority shares in Reddit and Discovery Channel. Over the years, Advance Publications also acquired 20 newspapers and Condé Nast.
The latter publishes Teen Vogue, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Architectural Digest. With all of the family's ventures, their fortune comes out to be $19.4 billion.
The Hunt Family: $15 Billion
The Hunt family fortune began with H.L. Hunt when he traded poker winnings for oil rights in the East Texas Oil Field. Thus starting the insane amount of money pooling into the Hunt family.
Not only that, but Lamar Hunt is also a co-founder of the American Football League and the Kansas City Chiefs, a team the family has owned since its inception. From all these ventures, the family is worth $15 billion.
The Pritzker Family: $29 Billion
The Pritzker family fortune began in 1957 when Jay Pritzker and his brother Donald created the Hyatt Hotel, a chain that has expanded to 1,175 various locations as of 2021. Not only that, but the brothers also owned Braniff Airlines for a time and even acquired Ticketmaster.
They sold 80% of the latter company for more than $325 million. Now, the family is worth a staggering $29 billion.
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