W B How many properties does your family have? How many millions have you saved? Do you think this is enough to say that you belong to a powerful family? The families on this list have managed to maintain great wealth and social influence for many, many generations and preserve their power to this day. Join us to discover how they managed to dominate the world! It may be that your family is not very far from getting it.
THE ROTHSCHILDS
Before the Napoleonic Wars, this family of Jewish origin was already considered one of the richest in the world. The family began its financial success in Germany with Mayer Amschel Rothschild, who established his banking business in the 1760s. Mayer managed to expand his sources of wealth internationally through his five children by establishing them in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Vienna and Naples. Rothschild family banking companies were pioneers in international finances during the industrialization of Europe and were instrumental in supporting railway systems throughout the world. During the nineteenth century, the Rothschild family possessed the greatest private fortune in the world, being elevated to noble rank in the Holy Roman Empire and the United Kingdom. Currently, the amount of money that the Rothschilds have is estimated at around 2 trillion (trillions) dollars. The members of this family have appeared in the richest lists due to their vast wealth that comes from a wide range of areas such as finance, real estate, mining, energy, agriculture, winemaking and oil and gas companies.
THE PRITZKER
If you’ve ever stayed at a luxury hotel or an elegant 5-star resort, you may have been inside the Pritzker domains. This family of Jewish immigrants from Ukraine moved from Kiev to Chicago in 1881. The Pritzkers own the Hyatt Corporation, a multinational with luxury hotels and resorts, which would total 777 establishments in 54 countries. The family owns the A. N. Pritzker School, which is focused on fine arts and performing arts, as well as its own architecture prize. This award, which bears the name of the family, seeks to encourage and stimulate greater public awareness and inspire more creativity. The Pritzkers have also participated in the Superior Bank of Chicago, the TransUnion credit agency, the Braniff airlines, McCall’s magazine and the Royal Caribbean cruise line. His influence on politics was noted in 2016 as they were one of the biggest contributors to the Clinton campaign. They have also been known for their support of educational, scientific, medical and cultural activities.
THE ROCKEFELLERS
This is the most powerful family in the history of the United States. It has influence in the industrial sector, in politics and the banking system, and it is believed that they could have between 1 to 3 trillion (trillions) dollars. The power of this family began with the Oil Baron, John Rockefeller, a businessman and industrial investor who is considered the richest American of all time. Rockefeller invested in the world of the oil industry and founded the Standard Oil Company in 1870. For many years, the family dominated the oil market, even controlling almost 90% of this market in the United States. Many of the residences that the Rockefellers have had, a total of 81 houses, are on the National Register of Historic Places. One of the most beautiful is the house Kykuit, known as the John D. Rockefeller Estate, being at the time the home of four generations of the family which is located on a family farm in Westchester County.
THE MORGAN
This American financial and banking family dynasty became prominent in their country of origin and managed to conquer the whole world until the beginning of the twentieth. The great fortune and power of this family began with John Pierpont Morgan, an American financier and banker who dominated corporate finance. Among his achievements is his role in the consolidation of the railway industry and his contribution to the rescue of the United States Treasury in 1895 and to the banking industry during the financial panic of 1907. After the death of John, his son, Jack Morgan, continued the financial and philanthropic activities that characterized the family. The Morgans were notable for dominating the banking industry for a long time and stood out for revolutionizing numerous industries, including electric, rail and steel.
THE SAUD
The Saud make up the royal dynasty that has ruled Saudi Arabia since 1932. The head of the family is King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who leads this family of approximately 25 thousand members. All of them are descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah which was the first Saudi state. The head of the family has absolute political power in that country and the members of the family have important government and military positions. They have control of around 20% of the world’s oil reserves and their fortune is estimated at about 1.4 trillion (trillions) dollars. And of course, being such a rich family, its members can give themselves the best luxuries. According to the New York Times, the crown prince bought, in 2018, a Da Vinci painting of 450 million dollars, a yacht of 500 million dollars and a French manor house of 300 million dollars. All this would be added to the two houses he owns in London and a complex on the south coast of Spain.
THE BARUCH
The power of this family was based on business and politics. Bernard Baruch was the patriarch who began the history of the family. He was a financier, shareholder, statesman, American political adviser of Jewish origin, broker and partner of A.A. Housman & Company. With his income and commissions, he bought a position in the New York Stock Exchange for the value of 434 thousand dollars. By age 30, he had already amassed a great fortune by speculating in the sugar market. In 1903, Baruch had his own brokerage firm and, because he chose not to join any financial house, he earned the reputation of “The Lone Wolf of Wall Street” and became one of the most recognized financiers. After his success in business, he excelled in the field of politics. He advised US presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt on economic matters. It is also known that he was a close friend of Sir Winston Churchill. Baruch College of the City University of New York and Saratoga Race course, Bernard Baruch Handicap, were named in his honor. When dying, his properties were under the administration of his wife Annie and their children Belle, Renee and Bernard Baruch Jr.
THE WINDSOR
This is the royal family of Britain led by Queen Elizabeth II. The name of this family was assigned by the king Jorge V, who in 1917, named it by the Windsor castle located in the southeast of England and is known as the favorite refuge of Queen Elizabeth II. This family has the largest amount of land in the United Kingdom, of which it receives an annual percentage of the profits generated each year. For its 100th anniversary, which was celebrated in 2017, a commemorative coin with its emblem was made and where you can see the tower of Windsor Castle with the royal standard and surrounded by two oak branches. Because each member of this family plays an important institutional role as representatives of the monarchy, they must comply with very strict standards. For instance, it is unusual for public displays of affection to take place. In addition, according to the Act of Royal Marriages, the members of the British Royal Family who occupy the first positions of the line of succession of the crown need the permission of the Queen to commit themselves. Would you like to belong to this family?
THE WALTONS
How often do you shop at Walmart? Let us tell you that this family founded their empire on the basis of this store. In 1962, Sam Walton opened the first Walmart store. Over time, Walmart became the largest store chain in the United States. This is how this family became one of the richest in the country. It is, now, the largest retailer in the world with annual sales of 500 billion dollars in its 12 thousand stores worldwide. After the death of Sam Walton in 1992, the company fell in the hands of his wife and four children: John, Jim, Rob and Alice Walton. Unfortunately, John Walton died in a plane crash in 2005 at 58 years of age. The three living brothers have appeared among the richest in Forbes lists. The collective fortune of the Walton family makes them the richest family in the United States. Their combined wealth is more than 163 billion dollars. While Alice, the younger sister, uses part of her money in her art collection, Robson Walton preferred to invest part of her fortune in her large collection of vintage cars. In 2013, he ran his Daytona Coupe, worth 15 million dollars, but he went off the track and crashed it. The car was one of five exclusive models that were
THE MURDOCH
This family reached the top thanks to the power they have in the media of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Murdochs began to build their empire in Australia with Keith Murdoch, who was a political journalist in one of the Melbourne newspapers. By becoming the editor of the newspaper, newspaper sales increased. After this, Keith continued to climb and became the general manager of print media. Years later, the Murdochs gained control of Australia’s mainstream media and created the News Corporation. Now, the Murdochs own 20th Century Fox, Fox News, Myspace and Dow Jones. Keith’s son, Rupert, who is also a journalist, is a very popular person in pop culture. He was mentioned in The Big Bang Theory and The Simpsons.
THE OPPENHEIMER
The Oppenheimer family owns most of the world’s gold reserves. The history of power and wealth of the family began with the German Ernest Oppenheimer, who began his working life at 17 years old in Dunkelsbuhler & Company, a diamond brokerage in London. For his outstanding work he was sent to Kimberley, South Africa, to represent the company. There, he was active in politics and became mayor of the city in 1912 and then head of one of the diamond companies. Soon, he monopolized the world diamond market and for 85 years he held the top positions in the world diamond trade. In 1921, the British government granted Ernest Oppenheimer the title of Knight.
Now, the empire of diamonds is ruled by his grandson, Nicky Oppenheimer, whose net worth amounts to 7.6 billion dollars and is one of the richest men in South Africa. The family, produces and sells diamonds, gold, platinum and industrial minerals.
Now that you have compared your family with those on this list, would you like to change roles with your members? Let us know in the comments and share with all your friends; We have more great content for you here.
