
How the richest person in every state made a fortune
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How the richest person in every state made a fortune
Are you curious about the richest person in your state? Whether it's a hedge-fund billionaire, tech giant, industrial titan, or someone simply born into the right family, the wealthiest people in every state each have their own stories. In today's political climate, the super-rich have plenty of influence over our political process, from lobbying members of the government and contributing to presidential bids to running ad campaigns in favor of specific causes.To figure out who's on top of each state's rich list, Forbes tracks groups of billionaires (or centimillionaires in states with no billionaires) and updates their findings annually. Stacker compiled a list of the uber-wealthy using this data, then broke down how each person earned their fortune. This list accounts for individuals' wealth as of June 26, 2019, but keep in mind the tides of fortune are always shifting. Many of the figures can change based on a dip in the stock market alone.
Sometimes billionaires are created overnight, like when Amazon founder and current richest man in the world Jeff Bezos announced his divorce with his wife MacKenzie, who will receive 4% of Amazon, roughly $35 billion. Sometimes billionaires are created through generations, with each subsequent heir to a fortune or a corporation making their own impact on their familial wealth. Sometimes billionaires are created amid a boom of new technology, like Mark Zuckerberg, who harnessed social media to become the richest person in California.
The distribution of billionaires and other super-rich individuals isn't evenly distributed; plenty more live on the coast than the Midwest, with some key exceptions: Warren Buffett, the richest person in Nebraska, still lives in a house costing approximately $652,000 that he bought in 1958. Clearly, metropolitan penthouses aren't for everyone.
Who's the richest person in your state? Read on to find out.

Alabama: Jimmy Rane
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Alabama: Jimmy Rane
- Net worth: $900 million (as of June 18, 2019)- Age: 72
- Source of wealth: lumber
- Residence: Abbeville, AL
Known colloquially as the Yella Fella, Jimmy Rane is a lumber magnate who built his fortune from his family's small plant into billion-dollar behemoth Great Southern Wood Preserving. As the wealthiest person in Alabama, Rane keeps his money close to home. He's revitalized his hometown and supports several universities by offering scholarships (more than 400 to date) through The Jimmy Rane Foundation. The Auburn University alum still sits on the board of his alma mater as chair of the board's governmental affairs.

Alaska: Leonard Hyde, Jonathan Rubini and families
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Alaska: Leonard Hyde, Jonathan Rubini and families
- Net worth: $300 million each (as of June 18, 2019)- Age: 62, 64
- Source of wealth: real estate
- Residence: Anchorage, AK
Real estate tycoons Leonard Hyde and Jonathan Rubini began amassing their fortunes by buying up Alaskan properties during economic downturns. Today, the partners head JL Properties, which owns the tallest building in Anchorage, massive residential units, and much more.

Arizona: Ernest Garcia II
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Arizona: Ernest Garcia II
- Net worth: $5.7 billion- Age: 62
- Source of wealth: used cars, self made
- Residence: Tempe, AZ
The stereotype of the used car salesman—ill-fitting shirt, sweaty skin, dusty parking lot—has never looked so good. Ernest Garcia II, an ex-con, made his fortune through operating the fourth-largest used car retailer in the country, DriveTime Automotive, along with owning plenty of stock of Carvana, a used car e-commerce platform.

Arkansas: Jim Walton
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Arkansas: Jim Walton
- Net worth: $52.1 billion- Age: 71
- Source of wealth: Walmart
- Residence: Bentonville, AR
According to Forbes, Jim Walton is the 11th wealthiest person in America, and is one of many heirs to the Walmart fortune that was amassed by his father, Sam Walton. Jim Walton lives in Bentonville—home to the Walmart world headquarters—and runs the family's Arvest Bank, which has assets listed at $16 billion.

California: Mark Zuckerberg
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California: Mark Zuckerberg
- Net worth: $79.5 billion- Age: 35
- Source of wealth: Facebook, self made
- Residence: Palo Alto, CA
As the creator of Facebook, the world's largest social network, Mark Zuckerberg isn't just the wealthiest Californian, but one of the five wealthiest Americans (stock price dependent). Zuckerberg hasn't been shy about giving his money away: He's one of the many ultra-rich to promise to donate half his wealth to The Giving Pledge.

Colorado: Philip Anschutz
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Colorado: Philip Anschutz
- Net worth: $11.5 billion- Age: 80
- Source of wealth: investments
- Residence: Denver, CO
Philip Anschutz is one of the most diversified billionaires on this list, with businesses ranging from sports and movies to oil and real estate. Anschutz's father was an oil tycoon, giving him a leg-up, but Phillip has far surpassed anything his family ever accomplished. Today, Anschutz owns sports teams, an entertainment conglomerate (including Coachella), and is one of the biggest individual landowners in the United States. Anschutz has also given away more than $2 billion to charity.

Connecticut: Ray Dalio
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Connecticut: Ray Dalio
- Net worth: $18.7 billion- Age: 70
- Source of wealth: hedge funds, self made
- Residence: Greenwich, CT
After earning an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1975, Ray Dalio started Bridgewater Associates, which has since become the largest hedge fund in the world with an estimated $160 billion under management. Dalio is also actively philanthropic—his family has given more than $1.3 billion via the Dalio Foundation, and he's promised to give away half his wealth through The Giving Pledge.

Delaware: Robert Gore and Elizabeth Snyder
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Delaware: Robert Gore and Elizabeth Snyder
- Net worth: $885 million each (as of June 18, 2019)- Age: 82, 72
- Source of wealth: Gore-Tex
- Residence: Newark and Wilmington, DE
Together, the heirs to Gore-Tex would be worth over a billion dollars, but since Elizabeth Snyder has five siblings, Delaware has zero billionaires. Gore-Tex is a lightweight, waterproof fabric and is commonly used in high-end raincoats to keep the cold and wet out.

Florida: Thomas Peterffy
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Florida: Thomas Peterffy
- Net worth: $16.9 billion- Age: 75
- Source of wealth: discount brokerage, self made
- Residence: Palm Beach, FL
A self-made billionaire, Thomas Peterffy is a Hungarian immigrant who came to America at 21 with no money. He earned his fortune by creating Discount Brokerage, a digital trading platform used by brokers and investors around the world. One of Peterffy's biggest causes is railing against socialism, and he's spent millions in political ads.

Georgia: Jim Kennedy
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Georgia: Jim Kennedy
- Net worth: $10 billion- Age: 72
- Source of wealth: media, automotive
- Residence: Atlanta, GA
Jim Kennedy inherited his 25% stake in Cox Enterprises—owners of TV and radio stations, newspapers, and digital services—from his mother, Barbara Cox Anthony. Kennedy had already served as CEO of the mega-media company from 1988 to 2008, raising its revenues from $1.8 billion to $15.4 billion. Kennedy is involved in a variety of philanthropic endeavors, including education, health care, and sustainability causes.

Hawaii: Pierre Omidyar
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Hawaii: Pierre Omidyar
- Net worth: $13.2 billion- Age: 52
- Source of wealth: eBay, PayPal, self made
- Residence: Honolulu, HI
Since founding eBay, Pierre Omidyar has pulled back from the company (though he still sits on its board). He has launched other ventures including First Look Media and the Press Freedom Defense Fund, which supports journalists in legal battles.

Idaho: Frank VanderSloot
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Idaho: Frank VanderSloot
- Net worth: $3.8 billion- Age: 71
- Source of wealth: nutrition, wellness products, self made
- Residence: Idaho Falls, ID
Frank VanderSloot isn't just rich; he's experienced in the political sector, too. The founder of Melaleuca, which calls itself the “largest online shopping club,” VanderSloot was a national finance co-chair for both of Republican Mitt Romney's presidential bids.

Illinois: Kenneth Griffin
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Illinois: Kenneth Griffin
- Net worth: $13.1 billion- Age: 51
- Source of wealth: hedge funds, self made
- Residence: Chicago, IL
The second hedge fund billionaire on the list, Ken Griffin runs Citadel, which manages more than $30 billion. Griffin got his start making trades from his Harvard dormitory, where he even reportedly put a satellite dish on the roof to get real-time quotes. Today, Griffin is considered an active philanthropist, and gives to a range of causes in his native Illinois.

Indiana: Carl Cook
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Indiana: Carl Cook
- Net worth: $10.6 billion- Age: 57
- Source of wealth: medical devices
- Residence: Bloomington, IN
Carl Cook is CEO of Cook Group, a medical device manufacturer started by Cook's parents in 1963. Cook inherited the bulk of the family fortune in stock transfers over a 15-year period, avoiding estate taxes. Cook is famously private, owing in part to his mother's 1989 two-day kidnapping.

Iowa: Harry Stine
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Iowa: Harry Stine
- Net worth: $5.5 billion- Age: 78
- Source of wealth: agriculture, self made
- Residence: Adel, IA
Agriculture billionaire Harry Stine was born and raised on a farm, so it's little surprise that he made his fortune selling seeds. Stine Seed is one of the largest independent producers of genetically modified seeds, sold to multinational corporations like Monsanto and Syngenta. Stine is also active in philanthropy and has promised to give away at least half of his money through The Giving Pledge.

Kansas: Charles Koch
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Kansas: Charles Koch
- Net worth: $42.2 billion- Age: 84
- Source of wealth: Koch Industries
- Residence: Wichita, KS
Koch Industries is America's second-largest private company (Cargill is #1), according to 24/7 Wall St.; Charles Koch has served as chairman and CEO since 1967. The company was started by Koch's father, and deals heavily in oil, gas, ranching, and finance, among other industries. Koch is also involved in politics and has funded a number of think tanks, including The Heritage Foundation and The Cato Institute.

Kentucky: Tamara Gustavson
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Kentucky: Tamara Gustavson
- Net worth: $5.1 billion- Age: 58
- Source of wealth: self storage
- Residence: Lexington, KY
Have you ever needed a place to put your junk? Gustavson's probably profited from you. The owner of 11% of Public Storage, a company her father cofounded, Gustavson is a generous donor to causes such as the HollyRod Foundation, which researches Alzheimer's and autism.

Louisiana: Gayle Benson
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Louisiana: Gayle Benson
- Net worth: $3.1 billion- Age: 73
- Source of wealth: pro sports teams
- Residence: New Orleans, LA
Gayle Benson is the wife of the late Tom Benson, who made his money in car dealerships and banking. Gayle Benson inherited the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans when her husband died in 2018. The Bensons are known for their extraordinary charity work, giving to Catholic causes as well as establishing the Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center in Jefferson, Louisiana.

Maine: Susan Alfond
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Maine: Susan Alfond
- Net worth: $1.8 billion- Age: 74
- Source of wealth: shoes
- Residence: Scarborough, ME
Shoe heiress Susan Alfond inherited her money from father Harold Alfond, who started the Dexter Shoe Company in 1958. When Alfond sold the company to Warren Buffett in exchange for Berkshire Hathaway stock in 1993, the family fortunes increased exponentially.

Maryland: Ted Lerner and family
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Maryland: Ted Lerner and family
- Net worth: $5.6 billion- Age: 94
- Source of wealth: real estate, self made
- Residence: Chevy Chase, MD
Ted Lerner owns over 20 million square feet comprising hotels, commercial and retail space, and apartments. The Lerner family also owns the Washington Nationals, and shares of the Washington Wizards and the Washington Capitals. Additionally, they're owners of Maryland's White Flint Mall. The family gives to a variety of causes including education, health and human services, arts and culture, and Jewish organizations.

Massachusetts: Abigail Johnson
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