The Rockefeller Family – $11 Billion

While you have probably heard of the Rockefeller Center in New York, you may not know the man behind the name. As the first billionaire the country, the deceased John D. Rockefeller Sr. is still widely considered the wealthiest American of all time. For those who don’t know, Rockefeller founded Standard Oil in 1870, which eventually controlled almost all of the U.S.’s oil refining.

By the time the government broke up Standard Oil, the Rockefellers had become the wealthiest family in the world and de facto rulers of New York. Today, is son, John Jr. and the rest of the Rockefeller family split the $11 billion fortune among its 174 members.