The 15 Wealthiest U.S. Presidents of All Time

Son of a Prebyterian minister, Grover Cleveland started growing wealth as an attorney in his own private practice prior to going into politics.

Cleveland also amassed wealth by selling his Washington, D.C. estate before moving to the "Westland Mansion" near Princeton, New Jersey.

Grover Cleveland was the 22nd & 24th U.S. President, serving from 1885-1889 and 1893-1897.

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Van Buren began studying law at the age of 14, building up a great deal of wealth at an early age. He was active in politics as early as 17, and later served as a U.S. Senator, Secretary of State and then Vice President to Andrew Jackson before being elected to office in 1837. 

Van Buren also had significant wealth tied up in his estate, Lindenwald in Kinderhook, New York. He was the 8th U.S. President, serving from 1837-1841.

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James Monroe built up a significant amount of wealth throughout his career while serving in the critical roles of Governor of Virginia, Ambassador of France, Secretary of State and Secretary of War.

He was also the last "Founding Father of the United States" to serve as president. James Monroe was the 5th U.S. President, serving from 1817-1825.

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Before becoming president in 1993, Bill Clinton had a selfless and modestly-paid career in public service. It wasn't until after he left office did Clinton start to accumulate significant wealth, with a lucrative career in public speaking.

In 2004, he released an autobiography, entitled My Life -- which he received a book advance fee worth $15 million, acording to tax records. The book has sold in excess of 2,250,000 copies to date. 

Bill Clinton was the 42nd U.S. President, serving from 1993-2001.

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Tyler gained much of his wealth by inheriting his father's 1,000-acre tobacco plantation and marrying into a wealthy family -- his first wife, Letitia, was the daughter of a prosperous planter.

After his presidential term, Tyler retired to his Virginia plantation, which he renamed "Sherwood Forest" to signify that he had been "outlawed" by his political party, the Whigs. 

John Tyler was the 10th U.S. President, serving from 1841-1845.

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Franklin D. Roosevelt was the only child of a wealthy old New York family of Dutch and French decent. His wife and fifth cousin, Eleanor, also came from an affluent family. They both gained substantial wealth through inheritance and marriage. 

Before being elected president, Roosevelt had brief careers as a corporate lawyer, New York State Senator and Assistant Secretary of the Navy. 

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the 32nd U.S. President, serving from 1933-1945.

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Herbert Hoover made his fortune as a professional geologist, mining engineer, mining consultant and author. He traveled the world managing, operating and innovating new mining methods throughout Australia, China and Wales.

Once he was elected president in 1929, Hoover was so wealthy that he donated his presidential salary to charity. 

Herbert Hoover was the 31st U.S. President, serving from 1929-1933.

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Lyndon B. Johnson's wealth was tied up in several different investments. Johnson's 1,500-acre ranch in Blanco County, Texas was appropriately dubbed the "Texas White House."

He and his wife, nicknamed 'Lady Bird,' also owned a television station (KTBC-TV/7) and several radio stations (KLBJ-AM, KLBJ-FM & KGSR)  in Austin, TX, as well as livestock and a private plane. 

Lyndon B. Johnson was the 36th U.S. President, serving from 1963-1969.

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Upon reaching maturity, James Madison inherited his father's tobacco plantation, "Belle Grove," along with its slaves. He also acquired another tobacco plantation, "Montpelier," later in life with 5,000 acres, where he retired to after he left office.

"Montpelier" was considered an architectural achievement of its time. James Madison was the 4th U.S. President, serving from 1809-1817.

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Andrew Jackson accrued substantial wealth as an army general, slave owner, planter and merchant during the post-Revolutionary War era -- eventually becoming one of the wealthiest presidents of the 19th century.

Nicknamed "Old Hickory," he married into even more wealth and eventually acquired a prime piece of real estate, "The Hermitage," near Nashville, TN.

Andrew Jackson was the 7th U.S. President, serving from 1829-1837.

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Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was born into a wealthy family, inheriting a significant trust fund. He spent most of his adult life in public service, primarily in the military and politics.

Teddy was also a prolific author, penning 18 books on a wide range of topics, including: poetry, ranching, wildlife, explorations, politics and an autobiography. His 235-acre estate, "Sagamore Hill," is the most valuable real estate plot on Long Island.

Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th U.S. President, serving from 1901-1909.

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Thomas Jefferson inherited substantial wealth in the form of real estate and slaves from his father. Before his political career, Jefferson was a successful lawyer in Colonial Virginia before getting involved in politics. 

Jefferson's neoclassic Virginian mansion, "Monticello," is considered an architectural achievement of its time, and a symbol of Jefferson's impressive wealth. 

Thomas Jefferson was the 3rd U.S. President, serving from 1801-1809.

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Washington was born into a prominent, wealthy family who owned tobacco plantations supported by vast slave labor. By age 11, he owned 10 slaves. His Virginian plantation, "Mount Vernon," sat on 8,000 acres of prime farmland with over 300 slaves.

Washington's wife, Martha, inherited a substantial amount of land from her father. Washington also made a higher presidential salary than any other president -- totaling two percent of the entire 1789 U.S. budget. 

George Washington was the 1st U.S. President, serving from 1789-1797.

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John F. Kennedy was born into one of the wealthiest families in the United States. Rumor has it, Joe Kennedy, JFK's grandfather, built the family fortune through a combination of bootlegging during Prohibition and investing in the post-depression stock market.

JFK's father was the first chairman of the SEC and his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, was an oil heiress. Nearly all of JFK's wealth came from his family's fortune, but Kennedy was assassinated before he could inherit the family estate worth approximately $1 billion in today's dollars. 

John F. Kennedy was the 35th U.S. President, serving from 1961-1963.

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