May 27th 2010 By Jeremy Taylor

JFK and George Washington Were Our Two Richest Presidents

Our happy hour fact to amaze your drinking buddies with.

John F. Kennedy and George Washington were our two richest presidents by far.

The Atlantic magazine took into account property, savings, salary, inheritance and royalties when calculating, in present dollars, how much each of the 43 men who have been president were worth at their peak. JFK, due to family money, was valued at a whopping $1 billion, whereas George Washington, who had massive land and slave holdings, checked in at $525 million.

Other presidents who topped the $100 million mark were Thomas Jefferson ($212 million), Teddy Roosevelt ($125 million), Andrew Jackson ($119 million) and James Madison ($101 million).

Barack Obama is currently worth $5 million. That number, however, will likely skyrocket when he leaves office.

Bill Clinton, for example, has already upped his net worth to $38 million -- and the big fella never even did that lucrative McDonald's ad campaign we all expected him to cash in on.

Tags: atlantic - Barack Obama - BarackObama - Geroge Washington - GerogeWashington - James Madison - JamesMadison - John F. kennedy - JohnF.Kennedy - Richest Presidents - RichestPresidents - Teddy Roosevelt - TeddyRoosevelt - Thomas Jefferson - ThomasJefferson

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Saturday 29 May

By seamusa

Lowest Rank

PLEASE FOLKS JUST LISEN TO THESE REPUBLICAN HATERS, THEIR GREED AND SELFISHNESS STILL AMAZES ME, ITS ME-ME-ME AND HATE FOAMING FROM THEIR LIPS, SUCH A SHAME THAT THEY CALL THEMSELFS AMERICANS, IF THEY HAD THEIR WAY THIS COUNTRY WOULD BE RUN BY A REPUBLICAN DICTATORSHIP, ISN,T THAT WHAT MOST AMERICAN DIED FIGHTING AGAINST?

Saturday 29 May

By Brian

Lowest Rank

Tom W apparently doesn't read the news. There was NO offer of a high paying job to Sestak. There was an offer of a NO paying job. Who do you think you are? Fox News? Distorting the truth like that?

Saturday 29 May

By j

Lowest Rank

Wow , I would have thought one of those two bush thugs would have been rich with all the war profiteering they did

Sunday 30 May

By billtheamerican

Highest Rank

Dear Susan,

I think we have been in Iraq too long and we should either have left as soon as we realized we couldn't find WMDs OR imposed a US run millitary government until we were satisfied that Iraq had a viable government with safe and free elections and a US approved Bill of Rights (and constitution). (personal opinion: If our men and women are going to bleed and die, we have the right to impose a government worth bleeding and dying for)

BUT...

Please remember that our Senate and a whole bunch of world leaders (NATO) agreed with Bush that Iraq had a WMD program and needed to be disarmed. They agreed when the president shared the classified intelligence he was using with them. We have still not seen this convincing, classified, and possibly wrong intelligence.

Sunday 30 May

By Soni

Neutral

Oh my the republican god of politics did the same back in 1982... Rotten Ronnie Reagan, asked S.I. Hayakawa not to rerun for his seat in congress... and would find him a job..
So apparently it is legal if a repub wants to offer jobs to get some one not to run, but a crime if a democrat does.. oh my...

Saturday 29 May

By Groucho

Highest Rank

Now we know who PopStar Messiah, the unPrecedented of the United States, was talking about when he said 'how much money is too much'. He'll find some way to grab it, just to make sure Hilary doesn't have any to run in the 2012 primary

Saturday 29 May

By ajschrod

Lowest Rank

Hey Groucho, I don't know where that silly "massiah" label came from, but I first heard it about 8 mo. ago--long after the election. On the other hand, I expected very little from Obama--the only reason I voted for him was NO Republican deserved to win after Bush's 8yr. debacle! Am I impressed? No, but he deserves his shot, and I'm not ready to join the do-nothing GOP in condemning him!

Saturday 29 May

By j

Lowest Rank

Bush put the nation into bankruptcy lining the pockets of the military industrial complex . He is why the nation is in a mess . It will take many years to overcome the damage this liar did to america .
BP was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the sham in Iraq .
What goes around comes around

Saturday 29 May

By Jay Love

Highest Rank

I question these figures greatly, for instance it was reported that bill and hillary had a net worth well in excess of 100 million in the 2008 presidential campaign based on their tax returns? also, what are these figures on Washington, Jefferson, etc..over 500 million bucks for G.W. first pres of our nation? this must be in adjusted
figures comparing the worth to todays dollars?? he would have been the richest man in the world at 500 million bucks, even more than most kings of the day?

and what about all the other presidents who's net worths are kept hidden and confidential in trust funds so that the little people will not be able to see how much they have made over time in public office off of kick backs and corruption? these figures don't even begin to tell the true story, JFK's fmaily wealth, albeit from illegal booze, was probably more innocent than the wealth of most modern day presidents and politicians whose sole wealth was attained via graft and corruption, kick backs and payoffs???

Saturday 29 May

By Reader

Highest Rank

"in present dollars."

Wednesday 02 June

By Jen

Neutral

you listen to Rush and Fox so-called news too much!!Lies upon lies for right-wing politicians can't be trusted! DOn't be one of the sheep!!

Saturday 29 May

By ggjones

Neutral

Of course these are adjusted to todays $ value. However today, no-one got wealthy while they were president. The huge wealth comes after they are out of power. Incidentally, I wonder what happened to the rankings of both Bush Presidents. I would have thought they would have been up there too. I'd also bet Cheney is the wealthiest VP!!

Saturday 29 May

By David

Lowest Rank

It is called books, Hillbilly. Read some.

Saturday 29 May

By Marty

Lowest Rank

Is it his politics or the color of his skin that irks you? Get over the fact that in your mind an uppity, you know what, has written at least two books that brought in major dollars. Ever read Audacity of Hope.

Saturday 29 May

By chili

Lowest Rank

Before you say he didn't do anything, read-up on what he did before he was president. Among other things, he was President of the Harvard Law Review - that's a big deal. He graduated magna com laude from Harvard Law School. He is attorney, and the last time I checked, attorneys make great money. I'm just saying: check your facts.

Saturday 29 May

By Betty

Highest Rank

David, you must be a liberal because the first thing you had to do was degrade Terry by calling him a name. Just because someone doesn't read the Great One's books doesn't make them a hillbilly or ignorant, just choosy about what they choose to read.

Saturday 29 May

By Helga

Highest Rank

I was surprised not to see FDR on the lis of richest Presidents.

Saturday 29 May

By john

Highest Rank

Marty,
What a wonderful book. I'm was given The Audacity of Hope as a Christmas present. I'm working my way through it, page by page. Not as soft as Charmin but with this economy you use what you have at hand.