<Table> <Tr> <Th> Name </Th> <Th> Portrait </Th> <Th> Lifetime </Th> <Th> Net worth ( billion 2010 USD ) </Th> <Th> Description </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Jakob Fugger </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 1459 -- 1525 <P> ( 66 years ) </P> </Td> <Td> 400 </Td> <Td> German merchant , mining entrepreneur and banker . He expanded Fugger family 's assets by making their operations European wide . At one point , Fugger & family had an almost monopolistic hold on the European copper market . At his death , Jakob Fugger bequeathed to his nephew Anton Fugger company assets totaling 2,032,652 guilders . Referred to as `` Fugger the Rich '' . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> John D. Rockefeller </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 1839 -- 1937 <P> ( 97 years ) </P> </Td> <Td> 336 </Td> <Td> On September 29 , 1916 , Rockefeller became the first person ever to reach a nominal personal fortune of US $1 billion ( equivalent to US $16 billion in 2016 ) . Rockefeller amassed his fortune from the Standard Oil company , of which he was a founder , chairman and major shareholder . By the time of his death in 1937 , estimates place his net worth in the range of US $300 billion to US $400 billion in adjusted dollars for the late 2000s ( decade ) . When considering the real value of his wealth , Rockefeller is widely held to have been the wealthiest American , as well as the richest person in modern history . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Andrew Carnegie </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 1835 -- 1919 <P> ( 84 years ) </P> </Td> <Td> 310 </Td> <Td> Carnegie founded the Carnegie Steel Company , which was the most extensive integrated iron and steel operations in the United States ; in 1901 , Carnegie sold his company for US $480 million to J.P. Morgan , who then merged his company into U.S. Steel . Capitalized at US $1.4 billion at the time , U.S. Steel was the first billion dollar company in the world . In his final years , Carnegie 's net worth was US $475 million , but by the time of his death in 1919 he had donated most of his wealth to charities and other philanthropic endeavors and had only US $30 million left to his personal fortune . Carnegie 's hundreds of millions accounted for about 0.60 % of the U.S. annual GDP and has a real value estimated at about US $75 billion adjusted for the late 2000s ( decade ) . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Nicholas II of Russia </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 1868 -- 1918 <P> ( 50 years ) </P> </Td> <Td> 250 -- 300 </Td> <Td> Emperor of All Russia from 1894 to 1917 . Estimates of the wealth of Nicholas II remain wildly speculative . As emperor , and an autocrat , the resources under Nicholas II 's command were virtually incalculable . However , the vast majority of this was officially owned by the State as Crown property . From this , supplemented by an annuity from the Treasury , he derived an annual income of 24 million roubles , from which he had to fund staff , the upkeep of imperial palaces and imperial theatres , annuities for the royal family , pensions , bequests , and other outgoings . `` Before the end of the year , the Tsar was usually penniless ; sometimes he reached this embarrassing state by autumn . '' According to the Grand Marshall of the Court , Count Paul Benckendorff , his personal wealth only amounted to between 12.5 and 17.5 million roubles . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Osman Ali Khan , Asaf Jah VII </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 1886 -- 1967 <P> ( 81 years ) </P> </Td> <Td> 210 </Td> <Td> The last Nizam of Hyderabad State in British India . Regarded as the wealthiest person in the world during his lifetime , his portrait was on the cover of Time magazine in 1937 . As a semi-autonomous monarch , he had his own mint , printing his own currency , the Hyderabadi rupee , and had a private treasury that was said to contain £ 100m in gold and silver bullion , and a further £ 400m of jewels ( in 2008 terms ) . Among them was the Jacob Diamond , valued at some £ 50m ( in 2008 terms ) , and used by the Nizam as a paperweight . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Henry Ford </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 1863 -- 1947 <P> ( 84 years ) </P> </Td> <Td> 188 -- 199 </Td> <Td> Henry Ford was an American automotive engineer , entrepreneur , and founder of the Ford Motor Company
<Table> <Tr> <Th> Name </Th> <Th> Portrait </Th> <Th> Lifetime </Th> <Th> Net worth ( billion 2010 USD ) </Th> <Th> Description </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Jakob Fugger </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 1459 -- 1525 <P> ( 66 years ) </P> </Td> <Td> 400 </Td> <Td> German merchant , mining entrepreneur and banker . He expanded Fugger family 's assets by making their operations European wide . At one point , Fugger & family had an almost monopolistic hold on the European copper market . At his death , Jakob Fugger bequeathed to his nephew Anton Fugger company assets totaling 2,032,652 guilders . Referred to as `` Fugger the Rich '' . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> John D. Rockefeller </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 1839 -- 1937 <P> ( 97 years ) </P> </Td> <Td> 336 </Td> <Td> On September 29 , 1916 , Rockefeller became the first person ever to reach a nominal personal fortune of US $1 billion ( equivalent to US $16 billion in 2016 ) . Rockefeller amassed his fortune from the Standard Oil company , of which he was a founder , chairman and major shareholder . By the time of his death in 1937 , estimates place his net worth in the range of US $300 billion to US $400 billion in adjusted dollars for the late 2000s ( decade ) . When considering the real value of his wealth , Rockefeller is widely held to have been the wealthiest American , as well as the richest person in modern history . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Andrew Carnegie </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 1835 -- 1919 <P> ( 84 years ) </P> </Td> <Td> 310 </Td> <Td> Carnegie founded the Carnegie Steel Company , which was the most extensive integrated iron and steel operations in the United States ; in 1901 , Carnegie sold his company for US $480 million to J.P. Morgan , who then merged his company into U.S. Steel . Capitalized at US $1.4 billion at the time , U.S. Steel was the first billion dollar company in the world . In his final years , Carnegie 's net worth was US $475 million , but by the time of his death in 1919 he had donated most of his wealth to charities and other philanthropic endeavors and had only US $30 million left to his personal fortune . Carnegie 's hundreds of millions accounted for about 0.60 % of the U.S. annual GDP and has a real value estimated at about US $75 billion adjusted for the late 2000s ( decade ) . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Nicholas II of Russia </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 1868 -- 1918 <P> ( 50 years ) </P> </Td> <Td> 250 -- 300 </Td> <Td> Emperor of All Russia from 1894 to 1917 . Estimates of the wealth of Nicholas II remain wildly speculative . As emperor , and an autocrat , the resources under Nicholas II 's command were virtually incalculable . However , the vast majority of this was officially owned by the State as Crown property . From this , supplemented by an annuity from the Treasury , he derived an annual income of 24 million roubles , from which he had to fund staff , the upkeep of imperial palaces and imperial theatres , annuities for the royal family , pensions , bequests , and other outgoings . `` Before the end of the year , the Tsar was usually penniless ; sometimes he reached this embarrassing state by autumn . '' According to the Grand Marshall of the Court , Count Paul Benckendorff , his personal wealth only amounted to between 12.5 and 17.5 million roubles . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Osman Ali Khan , Asaf Jah VII </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 1886 -- 1967 <P> ( 81 years ) </P> </Td> <Td> 210 </Td> <Td> The last Nizam of Hyderabad State in British India . Regarded as the wealthiest person in the world during his lifetime , his portrait was on the cover of Time magazine in 1937 . As a semi-autonomous monarch , he had his own mint , printing his own currency , the Hyderabadi rupee , and had a private treasury that was said to contain £ 100m in gold and silver bullion , and a further £ 400m of jewels ( in 2008 terms ) . Among them was the Jacob Diamond , valued at some £ 50m ( in 2008 terms ) , and used by the Nizam as a paperweight . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Henry Ford </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 1863 -- 1947 <P> ( 84 years ) </P> </Td> <Td> 188 -- 199 </Td> <Td> Henry Ford was an American automotive engineer , entrepreneur , and founder of the Ford Motor Company
who was the richest person in us history adjusted for inflation
who was the richest person in us history adjusted for inflation
Jakob Fugger
Jakob Fugger