The Net Worth Of The American Presidents: Washington To Obama

Banking & Finance

May 17, 2010 11:13 pm

Last Updated: February 11, 2016 3:37 pm

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President (Term)	Estimated Net Worth	Historical Points of Interest
12th Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)	$6 million	Taylor inherited significant amounts of land from his family, which at one point included property in Mississippi, Kentucky, and Louisiana. He made substantial money in land speculation, the leasing of warehouses, and investments in bank and utility stocks. Taylor owned a sizeable plantation in Mississippi and a home in Baton Rouge.
13th Millard Fillmore (1850-1853)	$4 million	Neither Fillmore nor his wife had significant inheritance. He founded a college that is the current State University of New York at Buffalo, and his primary holding was a house in nearby East Aurora, NY.
14th Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)	$2 million	Pierce’s father was frontier farmer, and his wife was well-to-do aristocrat. He served as attorney for 16 years and held property in concord, NH.
15th James Buchanan (1857-1861)	less than $1 million	Born in log cabin in Pennsylvania, Buchanan was one of 11 children. He was the only president never to marry. He worked for nine years as attorney, and spent 16 years in public office, including four years as secretary of state.
16th Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)	less than $1 million	To the log cabin born. Lincoln served as an attorney for 17 years before his presidency. He owned a single-family home in Springfield, Illinois.
17th Andrew Johnson (1865-1869)	less than $1 million	Johnson’s father was a tailor, and his wife was a shoemaker. He served the public for 20 years, including as Governor of Tennessee and U.S. Senator. Johnson owned a small house in Greenville, TN.
18th Ulysses Simpson Grant (1869-1877)	less than $1 million	Grant’s father was a tanner, and his wife was the daughter of a wealthy merchant. He lost his entire fortune when swindled by his investing partner. Grant owned a modest home in Galena, Illinois. Although he died with little money, his autobiography kept family afloat.
19th Rutherford Birchard Hayes, (1877-1881)	$3 million	Hayes’ father was a shopkeeper. He was an attorney for 15 years and owned “Spiegel Grove,” a 10,000 square foot home that sat on 25 acres in Fremont, Ohio. Hayes also served as Governor of Ohio and was a member of the House.
20th James Abram Garfield (1881)	less than $1 million	Garfield was born in a log cabin in Ohio. He spent 18 years in the House of Representatives. Garfield owned “Lawnfield,” a home and small property in Mentor, Ohio. He died penniless.
21st Chester Alan Arthur (1881-1885)	less than $1 million	The son of an Irish preacher, Arthur’s wife came a from military family. He made substantial sums as Collector for the Port of New York. His townhouse in New York was well-appointed with furniture commission from Tiffany.
22nd and 24th Grover Cleveland (1885-1889, 1893-1897)	$25 million	Cleveland’s father was a bookseller and preacher, and his wife was the daughter of wealthy lawyer. Cleveland served as an attorney for twelve years, and also made significant sums on sale of his estate outside of Washington, D.C. He bought “Westland Mansion” near Princeton, New Jersey.