# What were the 4 richest families during the Great Depression?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-4-richest-families-during-the-great-depression/232221
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 3, 2004, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-4-richest-families-during-the-great-depression/232221 "2004-03-03T01:54:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Teelo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teelo)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2004, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-4-richest-families-during-the-great-depression/232221/1 "2004-03-03T01:54:21Z")
In social class today, my teacher said if someone could find out the last names of the 4 richest families during the Dirty 30’s, she would buy the student lunch!
I searched through my textbook and found nothing! She claims the answers are in there but myself and a friend found no answers.
She said one of the family names was **Vanderbilts**.
Does anyone know the other 3? This would be really appreciated! 🙂
---
### Author:  [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2004, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-4-richest-families-during-the-great-depression/232221/2 "2004-03-03T02:06:51Z")
I can’t find stats but i’d assume rockefeller was another.
---
### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2004, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-4-richest-families-during-the-great-depression/232221/3 "2004-03-03T02:10:15Z")
Carnagie, Getty?
---
### Author:  [@bradministrator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bradministrator)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2004, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-4-richest-families-during-the-great-depression/232221/4 "2004-03-03T02:12:35Z")
Ford?
---
### Author:  [@Teelo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teelo)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2004, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-4-richest-families-during-the-great-depression/232221/5 "2004-03-03T04:00:23Z")
Thanks all!
I will use the first 3 names tomorrow, but unfortunately **bradminster** , Ford was a guess by someone else and was wrong! Thanks anyways!
---
### Author:  [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2004, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-4-richest-families-during-the-great-depression/232221/6 "2004-03-03T05:12:57Z")
I’d think the **DuPont** Family would have been fairly well off during the Depression.
---
### Author:  [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2004, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-4-richest-families-during-the-great-depression/232221/7 "2004-03-03T05:24:02Z")
The four richest families (by my guesses):
The Vanderbilts (steamships and railroads)
The DuPonts (gunpowder)
The Mellons (steel and finance)
The Rockefellers (oil)
---
### Author:  [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2004, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-4-richest-families-during-the-great-depression/232221/8 "2004-03-03T06:13:25Z")
Hmm, all I could tell you was how much their houses were worth in 1930 through the census. Nelson Rockefeller had a huge primary house. Worth almost a million dollars. Anyway it’s probably not too useful for your case.
How about the Hearsts?
---
### Author:  [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-4-richest-families-during-the-great-depression/232221/9 "2004-03-04T02:18:55Z")
Since 1918, Forbes magazine has published a list of the richest people in America. (Here’s [a link to the first one](http://www.forbes.com/2002/09/27/0927richest.html).)
Find those lists for the 1930’s, and look for people with the same last names to come up with ‘families’. That should give you a pretty good start on this.
---
### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2004, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-4-richest-families-during-the-great-depression/232221/10 "2004-03-04T02:43:33Z")
I guess this isn’t exactly doing your homework, so…
(and I’m not sure why you call it the “dirty” thirties, unless you lived in Pittsburgh)
From a 1933 newspaper, guesses as to the richest individual, Rockefeller was out as he gave away much of his money before the 1930’s and took a beating in the depression.
Names mentioned as to the richest were Ford, Mellon, Schwab, Baruch, Morgan.
In a 1937 news article, the Ford’s(father and son) were estimated to be worth 1 billion. The Mellons were estimated to be worth 200 million at that point. The Rockefellers were definitey still in there at that point.
I truly think that it would depend on what year you were talking about.
And, from everything I can find, the Fords were certainly one of the top five.
Definitely the Mellons. Final Answer.
Ask your teacher to explain WHY the Fords were NOT in the top four.
A book written in the 1930’s but using income tax returns from 1924, indicated the following for family wealth order(remember, this is 1924 and the stock market/depression could have played havoc with the list)
[ul]Rockefellers Morgans Fords Harkness! Mellons Vanderbilts Whitneys
[/ul]
---
### Author:  [@Teelo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teelo)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2004, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-4-richest-families-during-the-great-depression/232221/11 "2004-03-04T02:56:24Z")
Thanks to everyone here I was given a free slice of pizza and 5 dollars to spend in the cafeteria…
Score! 😃😃
Thank you all!