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America’s 10 richest presidents

July 28, 2010

Politicians always say they understand the worries and frustrations of rank-and-file working folk, but as Forbes notes, poor men don't become president.

The magazine, whose current wealthy head honcho tried a couple of times to win the Republican nomination for president, has compiled a list of the 10 richest U.S. presidents.


Gilbert_Stuart_Williamstown_Portrait_of_George_Washington George Washington was the big winner, thanks, says Forbes, to "the largely tax-free environment that characterized colonial America."

That, along with Washington's shrewd business sense, a marriage to a well-to-do widow and several inheritances place the Father of Our Country first in wealth, too.

Rounding out the rest of the Oval Office richest list are Herbert Hoover, Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy, Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt, Zachary Taylor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson and James Madison.

Surprised? I was.

Check out the Forbes slide show for details on how each man made his money.

What they reported to the IRS: Just like every other American, rich or not so well off, the president has to file an annual 1040 with the IRS.

The Tax Analysts' Tax History Project has tax return filings of the more recent U.S. leaders.

The only prez on the Forbes richest list with returns available online is FDR, beginning with a copy of his 1913 filing and running through his Tax Year 1937 Form 1040.

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Comments
  • Roth & Company, P.C.
    16 years ago Reply

    Where’s George?

    Forbes Magazine reports that George Washington was the wealthiest President. For his day, the Father of the Country was incredibly…

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