Group 1 - Timothy Mellon anonymously donated $130 million to fund paychecks for US Armed Forces during a government shutdown [1] - Andrew Mellon, a prominent figure from the Gilded Age, served as US Secretary of the Treasury and founded Union Steel and acquired Gulf Oil [2] - The Hughes family's wealth originates from Public Storage Inc., which owns 9% of the self-storage space in the US as of 2023 [3] Group 2 - The article ranks the 35 richest families in the US based on estimated net worths from Forbes as of February 2024 [4] - Notable families include the Hearsts, Newhouses, Waltons, and Pritzkers, who built wealth through various industries including publishing, retail, and hospitality [5][6] Group 3 - The Rollins family, through Rollins Inc., owns Orkin, the largest pest control corporation in the US, with the family holding about 40% of the company [7][8] - The Chao family, with a net worth of $14.2 billion, founded Westlake Corporation, a leader in petrochemicals, generating $12.1 billion in revenue in 2024 [9][10] Group 4 - The Haslam family, with a net worth of $14.4 billion, built wealth through the Pilot Company, which is now fully owned by Berkshire Hathaway [11] - The Crown family, with a net worth of $14.7 billion, has diverse holdings through Henry Crown & Company, including ski resorts and manufacturing firms [13] Group 5 - The Stryker family, with a net worth of $15.9 billion, owns 11% of Stryker Corporation, which had sales exceeding $20 billion in 2023 [15][16] - The Meijer family operates a grocery store chain with over 500 locations and an estimated annual revenue of $22 billion [18] Group 6 - The Marriott family, with a net worth of $15.9 billion, owns hotel brands like Sheraton and Ritz-Carlton, with the family holding approximately 16% of the company's shares [20][21] - The Johnson family, with a net worth of $16 billion, has ties to Johnson & Johnson, a global pharmaceutical brand [23][24] Group 7 - The Kohler family, with a net worth of $16.2 billion, has transitioned from manufacturing farm tools to bathroom fixtures, generating $9 billion in revenue in 2024 [25] - The Brown family, with a net worth of $16.5 billion, owns Brown-Forman Corp., known for brands like Jack Daniel's [27] Group 8 - The Dorrance family, with a net worth of $17 billion, controls over 50% of Campbell Soup Company, which generates more than $9 billion in annual revenue [29] - The du Pont family, with a net worth of $18.1 billion, has a long-standing fortune from the chemicals giant DuPont, founded in 1802 [30] Group 9 - The Ziff family, with a net worth of $18.5 billion, grew their wealth through Ziff Davis Inc. and investments via Ziff Brothers Investments [32][34] - The Butt family, with a net worth of $18.8 billion, operates H.E. Butt grocery stores, generating over $46 billion in revenue in 2024 [36] Group 10 - The Taylor family, with a net worth of $19 billion, controls Enterprise Mobility, which reported $35 billion in revenue in the 2023 fiscal year [38] - The Smith family, with a net worth of $19.8 billion, has significant holdings in Illinois Tool Works and Northern Trust [42] Group 11 - The Reyes family, with a net worth of $19.9 billion, leads Reyes Holdings, a major food-and-beverage distributor [44] - The Busch family, with a net worth of $20 billion, has historical ties to Anheuser-Busch, which was fully bought out for $52 billion in 2008 [45] Group 12 - The Hearst family, with a net worth of $22.4 billion, controls Hearst Corporation, a major media conglomerate [47] - The Newhouse family, with a net worth of $24.1 billion, derives wealth from Advance Publications, which owns Condé Nast [49] Group 13 - The Hunt family, with a net worth of $24.8 billion, built their fortune through Hunt Oil Company and various real estate investments [50] - The Lauder family, with a net worth of $25.9 billion, operates Estée Lauder, generating over $15 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2024 [53] Group 14 - The Cox family, with a net worth of $26.8 billion, has diversified interests in cable, media, and automotive industries, generating about $20 billion in revenue annually [56] - The Duncan family, with a net worth of $30 billion, controls Enterprise Products Partners, which has seen its fortune more than double since 2010 [57] Group 15 - The Cathy family, with a net worth of $33.6 billion, operates Chick-fil-A, which remains family-owned and has seen significant growth [59] - The SC Johnson family, with a net worth of $38.5 billion, produces well-known cleaning products and is led by fifth-generation family members [61] Group 16 - The Pritzker family, with a net worth of $41.6 billion, founded Hyatt Hotels and has been involved in various investments and political activities [63] - The Johnson family, with a net worth of $44.8 billion, controls Fidelity, one of the largest mutual-fund companies, generating over $32 billion in revenue in 2024 [66] Group 17 - The Cargill-MacMillan family, with a net worth of $60.6 billion, owns 88% of Cargill Inc., which generated over $160 billion in revenue in 2024 [68] - The Koch family, with a net worth of $116 billion, expanded their father's oil-refinery firm into a conglomerate generating roughly $125 billion in annual revenue [70] Group 18 - The Mars family, with a net worth of $117 billion, operates Mars Inc., which generated over $50 billion in revenue in 2024 [73] - The Walton family, with a net worth of $267 billion, founded Walmart, which reported $648.1 billion in revenue in 2024, making it the largest retailer globally [75]