Banking & Finance
The Net Worth Of The American Presidents: Washington To Obama
May 17, 2010 11:13 pm
Last Updated: February 11, 2016 3:37 pm
| Images | President (Term) | Estimated Net Worth | Historical Points of Interest |
|---|---|---|---|
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23rd Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893) | $5 million | Harrison had no significant inheritance of his own or from his wife’s family. He was a highly paid attorney for 18 years, and served as attorney for Republic of Venezuela. Harrison owned large Victorian home in Indianapolis, Indiana. |
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25th William McKinley (1897-1901) | $1 million | Mckinley had no significant inheritance. Served 30 years in public office, including local prosecutor and member of the House of Representatives. Went bankrupt during depression of 1893 while he was Governor of Ohio. |
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26th Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) | $125 million | Born to a prominent and wealthy family, Roosevelt received a significant trust fund. He lost most of his money on a ranching venture in the Dakotas and had to work as an author to pay bills. Roosevelt spent most of his adult years in public service. His 235-acre estate, “Sagamore Hill,” sits on some of the most valuable real estate on Long Island. |
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27th William Howard Taft (1909-1913) | $3 million | Taft’s wife’s father was a law partner of former president, Rutherford B. Hayes. Taft was president of the American Bar Association, an active attorney for nearly two decades, and only president to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. |
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28th Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) | less than $1 million | Wilson received modest compensation as head of Princeton and Governor of New Jersey. He never served in any position that provided him with a reasonable income. Wilson had a stroke in office and died five years later. |
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29th Warren Gamaliel Harding (1921-1923) | $1 million | Harding obtained wealth through marriage to his wife Mabel, daughter of a prominent banker. He owned the Marion Daily Star and a small home in Marion, Ohio. Most of Harding’s net worth came from his newspaper ownership. |
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30th Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929) | less than $1 million | Coolidge’s father was prosperous farmer and storekeeper. “Silent Cal” Spent five years as an attorney, and almost two decades in public office, which included time as Governor of Massachusetts. His net worth derived primarily from his home, “The Beeches,” in Northampton, Massachusetts, the advance from his autobiography, and the money he made from his newspaper column. |
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31st Herbert Clark Hoover (1929-1933) | $75 million | An orphan, Hoover was raised by his uncle, a doctor. He made a fortune as a mining company executive, had a very large salary for 17 years and had extensive holdings in mining companies. Hoover donated his presidential salary to charity. He also owned “Hoover House” in Monterey, California. |
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32nd Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933-1945) | $60 million | Roosevelt had wealth through inheritance and marriage. He owned the 800-acre “Springwood” estate as well as properties in Georgia, Maine, and New York. In 1919, his mother had to bail him out of financial difficulty. He spent most of his adult life in public service. Before he was president, Roosevelt was appointed assistant secretary of the navy by Wilson. |
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33rd Harry S. Truman (1945-1953) | less than $1 million | Truman was a haberdasher in Missouri and nearly went bankrupt. He served 18 years in Washington, D.C. Despite his modest income, he was able to save some of his presidential salary. |
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