# I Need a Good "Rags-To Riches-Rags" Story! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 11, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642 "2013-11-11T15:02:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/1 "2013-11-11T15:02:50Z")
I’m feeling sorry for myself-so I need a pick me up. I always liked stories about people who went from poverty to riches and back again. The one I most remember is William C. Durant (founder of GM). He started out as an office boy, rose to the head of Durant-Dort, and founded GM. he then went broke, and died in a walk-up apartment above a bowling alley (which he was managing). Even at the end, he had big dreams ( he was planning a nation-wide chain of bowling alleys). Any recommendations? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/2 "2013-11-11T22:47:43Z")
Try [Carl Fisher](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_G._Fisher) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/3 "2013-11-11T22:59:42Z")
[Samuel Insull](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Insull) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/4 "2013-11-12T20:29:27Z")
[A. P. Giannini](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amadeo_Giannini) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/5 "2013-11-12T20:53:10Z")
[Horace Tabor - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace_Tabor) and Baby Doe Tabor ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/6 "2013-11-12T21:07:33Z")
The Reverend [Billy Sunday.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Sunday) ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/7 "2013-11-12T22:14:27Z")
[Charlie Steen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Steen) ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/8 "2013-11-12T23:34:01Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > [A. P. Giannini](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amadeo_Giannini) Not seeing where he lost his riches. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/9 "2013-11-13T00:16:17Z")
[Navin R. Johnson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jerk) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/10 "2013-11-13T00:35:35Z")
> [@Darryl\_Lict](#): > > Not seeing where he lost his riches. Didn’t realize this was limited to rags-to-riches-to-rags. My bad. **ralph** does have a habit of messing up his thread titles. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/11 "2013-11-13T02:16:55Z")
[Ed McMahon.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_McMahon#Financial_problems) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/12 "2013-11-13T03:27:13Z")
If you’re counting entertainment, there are many examples: [Veronica Lake](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Lake) [Fatty Arbuckle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatty_Arbuckle) ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/13 "2013-11-13T05:29:44Z")
If you’d like something fictional, try “The Jerk” with Steve Martin. (I think?) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/14 "2013-11-13T12:51:25Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > If you’d like something fictional, try “The Jerk” with Steve Martin. (I think?) Psst… see post #9. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/15 "2013-11-13T14:46:20Z")
It’s not really rags to riches to rags (I guess in any way, shape, or form), but Howard Hughes certainly built a vast empire (not starting from nothing, though) while becoming a broken, old, lost man at the end of his life. Might be worth checking out. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/16 "2013-11-13T15:29:23Z")
Two recent examples. [Halsey Minor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halsey_Minor), who founded Cnet and co-founded [Salesforce.com](http://Salesforce.com) and [John McAfee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McAfee), who founded the anti-virus company that bears his name. His fortune was about $100 million at its peak but dwindled to “only” about $4 million later. One of his mistakes was investing in bonds issued by Lehman Brothers. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/17 "2013-11-13T15:56:12Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Two recent examples. [Halsey Minor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halsey_Minor), who founded Cnet and co-founded [Salesforce.com](http://Salesforce.com) and [John McAfee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McAfee), who founded the anti-virus company that bears his name. His fortune was about $100 million at its peak but dwindled to “only” about $4 million later. One of his mistakes was investing in bonds issued by Lehman Brothers. John McAfee is also completely bonkers. You gotta love good ol’ [MC Hammer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MC_Hammer). He went from a net worth of $33 million to -$13 million in the space of a couple years. ---
**Author:** ![Tante\_Dillie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Tante\_Dillie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tante_Dillie)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/18 "2013-11-13T21:42:19Z")
Irving Berlin. Best rags-to-riches story of all times. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-good-rags-to-riches-rags-story/673642/19 "2013-11-14T01:57:04Z")
> [@Tante\_Dillie](#): > > Irving Berlin. Best rags-to-riches story of all times. Yeah, but read the OP (rags-riches-rags). AFAIK, Irving didn’t lose all his dough and end up playing ragtime piano for tips. That would have been one helluva show, even if all the songs would have been in the key of C 🙂