The Mellon Family – $11.5B
In 1869, the Mellon family founded the Mellon Bank but their wealth skyrocketed when they made investments in Gulf Oil – which later became Chevron-Texaco. Other investments include New York Shipbuilding, Alcoa, Carborundum Corporation, and the news publication The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Well-known for their various philanthropic ventures, the Mellons founded the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. The family’s origins can be traced back to Ireland owing to the original patriarch of the family, Thomas Mellon, who had Scottish-Irish farmers for parents and whose family immigrated to the U.S. in the 1800s.
The Mellon Family – $11.5B
The Kraft Family – $6.6 billion
One of the wealthiest sports owners ever, Robert Kraft is a Massachusetts-born businessman who owns the New England Patriots. Kraft’s earliest success was actually the extremely popular International Forest Products company. This firm manufactured paper packaging products and provided them to the biggest companies in the world – Avon, Quaker Oats and Kodak to name a few. With his millions, Kraft quickly started purchasing sports teams, including several soccer teams and an e-sport team, though without a doubt, the New England Patriots is his crowned jewel.
The Kraft Family – $6.6 billion