John Jacob Astor

Lived: July 17, 1763 – March 29, 1848

Net worth: $110.1 billion in 2006

John is known to be the first multi millionaire from the United States. He was a German-American business man and an investor. He started his career as an assistant in his father’s dairy. Later on he moved on to trade fur and was quite successful in this business with Indians. He really did well in the business with great imports and exports. He was also involved in the smuggling of opium and then began to purchase land in Manhattan, creating a great land-rich empire. At the time of his death he was the wealthiest person in the United States.

Stephen Girard

Lived: May 20, 1750 – December 26, 1831

Net worth: $105 billion

Born in France, Girard lost the sight of his right eye at age eight, and he had procured very little education. As an established merchant in Philadelphia, Girard eventually purchased the First Bank of the United States charter. His bank became the principal source of government credit during the War of 1812. Towards the end of the war, when the financial credit of the U.S. government was at its lowest, Girard placed nearly all of his resources and wealth at the disposal of the government and underwrote up to 95 percent of the war loan issue, which enabled the United States to continue war. He became one of the wealthiest men America has ever seen, estimated to have been the fourth richest American of all time, based on the ratio of his fortune to contemporary GDP. He was childless hence devoted much of his fortune to philanthropy, particularly the education and welfare of orphans.