According to anthropologist
W. Lloyd Warner, the upper class in the United States during the 1930s was divided into the upper-upper and the lower-upper classes. The lower-upper were those who did not come from traditionally wealthy families. They earned their money from investments and business, rather than
inheritance. Examples include
John D. Rockefeller, whose father was a traveling
peddler;
Cornelius Vanderbilt, whose father operated a
ferry in
New York Harbor;
Henry Flagler, who was the son of a Presbyterian minister; and
Andrew Carnegie, who was the son of a Scottish weaver. In contrast to the
nouveau riche, whose riches were acquired in their own generation, the upper-upper class were families viewed as "quasi-aristocratic" and "
high society". and
Presbyterians are the most prevalent among them.
Early Colonial • The Byrd Family of Virginia,
FFV, is descended from
William Byrd I who received a grant on 27 October 1673 at the
fall line of the
James River that would later become the site of
Richmond, Virginia. Byrd's son
William Byrd II of
Westover Plantation who inherited the land was an American
planter and author from
Charles City County in
colonial Virginia. He expanded his holdings to approximately and founded the City of Richmond. Although much of the family's wealth was squandered during the 18th century by
William Byrd III through gambling and bad investments, descendant
Richard Evelyn Byrd Sr. became wealthy as an apple grower in the
Shenandoah Valley and publisher of the
Winchester Star newspaper. He was elected to the
Virginia House of Delegates in 1906 and served as
Speaker from 1908 to 1914. His son
Harry Flood Byrd was elected the 50th
Governor of Virginia in 1925, and later served in the
US Senate until his retirement in 1965. Byrd controlled a
Democratic political machine known as the
Byrd Organization that dominated Virginia politics for most of the 20th century. Byrd was succeeded in the US Senate by his son
Harry F. Byrd Jr. who served until 1981. The family also produced early Ohio political leader and jurist,
Charles Willing Byrd, and polar explorer,
Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd. • The
Cabot family arrived in Salem from the Isle of Jersey in 1700 and made fortunes in shipping.
George Cabot was an American merchant, seaman, and politician from
Massachusetts. He represented
Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate and was the presiding officer of the infamous
Hartford Convention.
Samuel Cabot Jr. was an American businessman in the
early-nineteenth-century China Trade.
James Elliot Cabot was an American philosopher and author, born in
Boston to
Samuel Cabot Jr., and Eliza Cabot.
Edward Clarke Cabot was an American architect and artist.
Henry Cabot Lodge was a member of the
Porcellian Club, an American
Republican politician, historian, and statesman from
Massachusetts. He served in the United States Senate from 1893 to 1924 and is best known for his positions on foreign policy.At the age of 21,
Godfrey Lowell Cabot (see Lowells below) founded the
Cabot Corporation, the largest producer of carbon black in the country. • The Carter family of
Corotoman,
Shirley,
Sabine Hall,
Nomony Hall,
Cleve and
Carter's Grove,
FFV, of Virginia is descended from
Robert "King" Carter, of
Lancaster County, who was a planter, businessman and
colonist in Virginia and became one of the wealthiest men in the
colonies accumulating over 300,000 acres of land and more than 1,000 slaves. As President of the
Governor's Council of the
Virginia Colony, he was acting
Governor of Virginia from 1726 to 1727 after the death in office of Governor
Hugh Drysdale. He acquired the
moniker "King" due to his great wealth, political power, and autocratic business methods. His many notable descendants include:
Robert Burwell, a member of the Virginia
House of Burgesses,
Robert Carter III, who sat on the
Virginia Governor's Council,
Carter Braxton, a signer of Declaration of Independence,
Mann Page a Virginia delegate to the
Continental Congress in 1777,
Confederate States Army General
Robert E. Lee, Confederate Army first lieutenant
Robert Randolph Carter,
John Page, the 13th Governor of Virginia,
Thomas Nelson Page, who served as US ambassador to
Italy during the
Woodrow Wilson administration, and civil engineer and industrialist
William Nelson Page. U.S. President
Jimmy Carter is descended from Robert "King" Carter's uncle, Thomas Carter, who settled in Virginia in 1635. • The Corbin Family,
FFV, of Middlesex County, Virginia, beginning with
Henry Corbin was an emigrant from England who became a tobacco planter in the Virginia colony and served in both houses of the
Virginia General Assembly, in the
House of Burgesses representing
Lancaster County before the creation of
Middlesex County on Virginia's Middle Neck, then on the
Governor's Council. The governor and council made Corbin a justice of the
Lancaster County court in 1657. Lancaster County voters in both 1659 and 1660 elected Corbin as one of their representatives in the
House of Burgesses, alongside the county's largest plantation owner,
John Carter, Sr. His son
Gawin Corbin (burgess) was prominent in political affairs. His daughter
Laetitia Corbin Lee married
Richard Lee II of
Machodoc Plantation, while another daughter Ann married
William Tayloe (the nephew).
Gawin Corbin Sr., son of the Burgess was a Virginia planter and politician who served in the
House of Burgesses representing
Middlesex County, Virginia.
Richard Corbin was a Virginia planter and politician who represented
Middlesex County in the
House of Burgesses and the
Virginia Governor's Council. Although a noted Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War (during which two brothers served in British forces), he considered himself a Virginian and two of his descendants of the same name also served in the Virginia General Assembly following the conflict.
Hannah Lee Corbin was an American
women's rights advocate and member of the
Lee family in
Virginia. A controversial widow in her own time in part for her refusal to marry her paramour (with whom she had children) or conversion from the
Church of England to the
Baptists, she may today be best known for asking that women be given the right to vote.
John Tayloe Corbin was a Virginia planter and politician who represented
King and Queen County in the
House of Burgesses. The son of the powerful planter
Richard Corbin, a member of the Governor's Council, he was likewise a Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War (during which two brothers served in British forces), but remained in Virginia. • The
Custis Family FFV dates back to the mid-seventeenth century, four members of the Custis family immigrated to the colony of Virginia: Anne,
John Custis II, William II, and their uncle John I. John II was the most successful at establishing the family name into prominent society, advancing into the Virginia ruling class by serving as a sheriff, justice of the peace, surveyor, coroner, militia officer, member of the House of Burgess, and Councillor. John II also built a large mansion that he called Arlington. His descendants included his son
John Custis III and grandson John IV, who was born in August 1678.
John Custis IV was the father of
Daniel Parke Custis,
Martha Dandridge Custis's first husband, Martha's Second husband was
George Washington. Making his step grandchildren and wife USA First Inaugural Family • The
Delano family of Massachusetts and New York is descended from Philippe de Lannoy, who was born in 1602 to parents of French and Dutch descent. In the United States, members of the Delano family include U.S. presidents
Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
Ulysses S. Grant and
Calvin Coolidge, astronaut
Alan B. Shepard, and writer
Laura Ingalls Wilder. Delano family forebears include the Pilgrims who chartered the Mayflower, seven of its passengers, and three signers of the
Mayflower Compact. • The
Griswold Family of Connecticut made their fortune in shipping, banking, railroads, and industry. They have been prominent in American politics, producing five governors and numerous senators and congressmen. • The
Harrisons of
Berkley,
FFV, of Virginia is an American political family, of the
Commonwealth of Virginia, whose direct descendants include a
Founding Father of the United States,
Benjamin Harrison V, and three
U. S. presidents:
William Henry Harrison,
Benjamin Harrison, and
Abraham Lincoln. The Virginia Harrison family consists primarily of two branches with origins in northern England. One branch, led by Benjamin Harrison I, journeyed by way of
Bermuda to Virginia before 1633 and settled along the
James River where they became wealthy
planters; they are often referred to as the James River Harrisons. Successive generations of this branch served in the legislature of the Colony of Virginia, including Benjamin V, who was a signatory of the
Declaration of Independence and later governor of Virginia. This branch of the Harrison family produced President William Henry Harrison, Benjamin V's son, and President Benjamin Harrison, William Henry's grandson, as well as another Virginia governor,
Albertis Harrison. The family also includes two Chicago mayors and members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The other branch of the Virginia Harrisons emigrated from Britain to
New England in 1687 and moved south to the
Shenandoah Valley of Virginia 50 years later; they were led by Isaiah Harrison. This branch most likely descended from an interim chaplain of the
Jamestown Colony, Rev. Thomas Harrison, who was kindred to the James River Harrisons, but by 1650 had returned to England. President Abraham Lincoln descended from the Shenandoah Valley Harrisons, as did entertainer
Elvis Presley. This branch of the family also included the founders of
Harrisonburg and
Dayton and physician
J. Hartwell Harrison, who was part of the medical team that accomplished the world's first successful
kidney transplant surgery. • The
Lowell family are descended from Boston colonists.
John Lowell was a delegate to the
Congress of the Confederation, a judge of the
Court of Appeals in Cases of Capture under the
Articles of Confederation, a
United States district judge of the
United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts and a United States circuit judge of the
United States Circuit Court for the First Circuit.
John Lowell Jr. was an American lawyer and influential member of the
Federalist Party in the early days of the United States of America.
Francis Cabot Lowell began the fortune in shipping and later textiles. The family has produced several noteworthy individuals, including
Abbott Lawrence Lowell, who presided over
Harvard for 24 years. • The Ogle Family of
Belair and
Ogle Hall, Maryland including
Provencial Governor Samuel Ogle and
Governor Benjamin Ogle descend from the
Barons Ogle, prominent
landed gentry in
Northumberland, England, of
Ogle Castle and
Bothal Castle, allied through marriage with the Manner's of
Rutland,
Cavendish family of
Newcastle, the premiere peerage, the
Baron de Ros, and the ancient
Norman House of Percy. • The
Randolph family,
FFV, is descended from
William Randolph, an American
colonist who accumulated a vast fortune including over 20,000 acres (81 km2) of land as a planter and merchant, and played an important role in the history and government of the English
colony of Virginia. He arrived in Virginia sometime between 1669 and 1673 and married Mary Isham a few years later. Randolph's descendants have included many prominent Americans, including U.S. President
Thomas Jefferson,
U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall,
Confederate General,
Robert E. Lee,
Peyton Randolph, the first
President of the Continental Congress, and
Edmund Randolph, who served as the seventh
Governor of Virginia, the second
US Secretary of State, and the first
U.S. Attorney General as well as many other notable individuals in Virginia and U.S. politics. • The
Roosevelt family of Manhattan arrived from the
Netherlands as colonists in the 17th century and later became prominent in business and politics. Two distantly related branches of the family, from
Oyster Bay on
Long Island and
Hyde Park in
Dutchess County, rose to global political prominence with the elections of Presidents
Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909) and his fifth cousin
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945), whose wife, First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt, was Theodore's niece. • The
Tayloes, of
Mount Airy,
The Octagon House,
Powhattan Hill,
Buena Vista, the
Tayloe House in
Colonial Williamsburg, and later the
Alabama,
Canebrake,
FFV, descended from
William Tayloe (planter) who first held elected office in 1647 as High Sheriff of
York County, Virginia. He married Elizabeth Kingsmill, daughter of
Virginia Company proprietor Richard Kingsmill.
William Tayloe (the nephew) built the Old House in Old Rappahannock County and married Ann Corbin (1664–1694), daughter of Hon.
Henry Corbin and Alice (
Eltonhead) Corbin, of "Buckingham House"
Middlesex County,
John Tayloe II built Mount Airy, imported
Diomed, and after the death of
King Carter took over the moniker of Wealthiest Man/Family in Virginia.
John Tayloe III lent his home in Washington, DC,
The Octagon House, to President
James Madison and wife
Dolly Madison after the British burnt the
White House during
The War of 1812. He founded
St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square and the
Washington Jockey Club with
Charles Carnan Ridgely of
Hampton, and bred
Sir Archie. His sons, all scions of the tidewater gentry, their mother the daughter of
Benjamin Ogle of
Belair and
Ogle Hall, descended from the
Baron Ogle of
Northumberland, allied through marriage with the Manners of
Rutland,
Cavendish family of
Newcastle, the premiere peerage, the
Baron de Ros and ancient
Norman House of Percy. John Tayloe IV served as a
midshipman on the
USS Constitution,
Benjamin Ogle Tayloe was a member of the
Porcellian Club and then a prominent political activist in Washington, D.C., having begun his career as
Richard Rush's personal secretary during his time as
Ambassador to the Court of St. James, and built the
Benjamin Ogle Tayloe House on
Lafayette Square.
Edward Thornton Tayloe was a member of the
Porcellian Club, served as a diplomat having begun his career as
Joel Roberts Poinsett's personal secretary, and was rumored to be
William Henry Harrison's pick for
Secretary of the Treasury before this untimely death, and
Henry Augustine Tayloe co-founded the
Fair Grounds Race Course with French Creole
Bernard de Marigny. While the foundation of their wealth was agricultural slave plantations, they exemplified gentry entrepreneurship by diversifying and vertically integrating; first shipbuilding to move the agricultural produce, then producing iron, smelting, at their furnaces
Bristol Iron Works and
Neabsco Iron Works and mining their coal fields in Namejoy, Maryland, namely Tayloe's Neck, to build ships. • The
Van Rensselaer family of the
Manor of Rensselaerswyck, is a family of
Dutch descent that was prominent during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries in the area now known as the
state of New York. Members of this family played a critical role in the formation of the United States and served as leaders in business, politics, and society. Beginning with
Kiliaen van Rensselaer (merchant) was a Dutch
diamond and
pearl merchant from
Amsterdam who was one of the founders and directors of the
Dutch West India Company, being instrumental in the establishment of
New Netherland. He was granted the
Manor of Rensselaerswyck in what is now mainly
New York's
Capital District. His estate remained throughout the
Dutch and
British colonial era and the
American Revolution as a legal entity until the 1840s.
Johan van Rensselaer was the second
patroon of the
Manor of Rensselaerswyck, was the eldest son of
Kiliaen van Rensselaer, and his first wife, Hillegonda van Bylaer. • The
Van Everinghe van Watervliet family (eventually simplified and Anglicized to Van Every and Van Avery) were
Dutch barons who first amassed a fortune as brewers, land owners, and high governmental officials in the old country in the mid-16th Century. Migrating to North America in the mid-17th Century they continued to become prominent smiths,
fur traders, and land owners from the founding of
Beverwijck, present day Albany, New York, through the American Revolution. The city of
Watervliet, New York, is likely named after the family's original
ridderhofstede (knightly estate) in the County of Zeeland. The first members were granted a warrant as sole suppliers of arms and armor to
Fort Orange, were active in the
Albany Convention during
Leisler's Rebellion, and were close associates of the Van Rensselaers. Later, one member took the Oath of Secrecy as a
Son of Liberty, served as Chairman of the
Schenectady Committee of Correspondence and as a Senator in the newly-formed
New York Assembly. Several served as officers in the militia during the Revolution, including in
Van Rensselaer's Regiment, and one served alongside
George Washington from 1775-1780, including the bitter winter at
Valley Forge and the
Crossing of the Delaware. Later generations include industrialists, hoteliers, inventors, professional athletes, and writers, and share bloodlines with George Washington,
John Adams,
Benjamin Franklin, and
Philip Schuyler.
Late Colonial • The
Astor family made their fortune in the 18th century, through fur trading, real estate, the hotel industry, and other investments. • The
Forbes family of Boston made their fortune in the shipping and later railroad industries as well as other investments. They have been a prominent wealthy family in the United States for 200 years. • The Hartwick family is of mainly
English and
German descent, and their ancestry and fortune predates the
American Revolution. The Hartwicks have produced several politicians and military generals, such as
Edward Hartwick. By
World War I, the family-controlled most of the lumber in the United States. The Hartwick's philanthropic works include the founding of
Hartwick College, and
Hartwick Pines State Park.
Early National Era • The
Du Pont family fortune began in 1803, but they became an extraordinarily wealthy family by selling
gunpowder during the
American Civil War. By
World War I, the DuPont family produced virtually all American gunpowder. In 1968, Ferdinand Lundberg declared the Du Pont fortune to be America's largest family fortune.
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company ranked 81st on the Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations. • The
Mellon family made their fortune in the banking business. The
Mellon Bank was founded in 1869 by
Thomas Mellon. Under the direction of his son,
Andrew Mellon the family amassed one of the
Gilded Age's largest fortunes. They became principal investors and majority owners of
Gulf Oil (which merged with
Chevron Corporation in 1985),
Alcoa (since 1886),
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (since 1970),
Koppers (since 1912), and
New York Shipbuilding (1899–1968), as well as other major firms. The family bank merged with the Bank of New York and continues today as
BNY Mellon. • The
Van Leer family of Pennsylvania made their fortune in the iron business. They have been prominent in academia, business, and American politics. Descendants include successful entrepreneurs, governors, congressmen, university presidents, and university founders. • The
Whitney family is an American family notable for their business enterprises, social prominence, wealth and philanthropy, founded by John Whitney, who came from
London,
England to
Watertown, Massachusetts in 1635. The Whitney family are members of the
Episcopal Church. For example, the
Rockefeller family's estimated net worth of $1 billion in the 1930s grew to $8.5 billion by 2000—that is, not adjusted for inflation. In 60 years, four of the richest families in the United States increased their combined $2–4 billion in 1937 to $38 billion without holding large shares in emerging industries. When adjusted for inflation, the actual dollar wealth of many of these families has shrunk since the '30s. From a
private wealth manager's perspective, "old money" can be classified into two: active "old money" and passive "old money". The former includes inheritors who, despite the inherited wealth at their disposal or that which they can access in the future, choose to pursue their own career or set up their own businesses.
Paris Hilton and
Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou did this. On the other hand, passive "old money" are the idle rich or those who are not wealth producers. "Old money" contrasts with the
nouveau riche and
parvenus. These fall under the category "new money" (those not from traditionally wealthy families). == Europe ==