The richest person you have personally known

[bada bing]

I didn't know him, but I told off the richest man in my state (according to a Forbes article) way back in 1982. I was working on a special project with a deadline in the machine shop where I worked. This old guy who looked like a drunk kept bothering me with unappreciated suggestions on how I should be doing things. I finally told him to buzz off (in more colorful language.) He was the owner of the business I was working for, as well as a couple major hotels, a statewide fuel distribution business and several seafood processing plants.

The old guy, to his credit, left me alone to finish my project. A co-worker who heard the exchange was laughing and later asked me if I knew who it was I had told to @#$%-off.

 

[Texas Proud]

My mom’s uncle was Scrooge McDuck rich. Graduated from Rice University, was an attorney.

Supposedly changed his dad’s will and thus inherited his dad’s( a banker) wealth, cut his sisters completely out of the will, they got zero. My mom’s side of the family despised him. They had grown up very privileged, finishing schools for girls, university in the northeast ( my grandmother went to Parsons School of Design in NYC in 1910). Suddenly as they called it “ daddy’s” money was gone so they all had to get real jobs like teaching school. They were certainly spoiled.

My mom grew up on a wheat and small dairy farm helping milk the cows so it was all a fairy tale to her listening to her schoolteacher mom.

Great Uncle parlayed that inheritance into hundreds of millions buying Houston area pasture cheap in the 1940s and later developing it into neighborhoods in 1950s-1970s as Houston boomed & rapidly expanded. He was visionary how the city would grow and how to make money - had a long view.

He gave me a quarter once, the only time I ever met him. Even as a kid I thought he was a lonely & sad man. Money didn’t buy him true happiness.

I literally have no idea what happened to his money, he had no kids and his wife died before he did. Probably gave it to Rice.

If it was large you should be able to find out if it were given to Rice... most really large gifts are mentioned somewhere... also, might have a building or something named after him....

 

[Texas Proud]

I will throw out that I did meet Bill Gates before he became a multi-billionaire.... heck, probably before being very rich at all... but does not qualify as me knowing him...


I was an early member of HAL-PC which is the Houston PC user group... I cannot remember if I was in the 100s or the 200s member number... but, he came to one of the meetings in the early 80s and was giving out copies of a new program.... cannot remember the name, but IIRC it was some graphing program... tried to look it up and could not find a name that brought out a memory....


So, sitting a few seats down from him and giving feedback on the program... he was really nerdy at that time with HUGE glasses, but so was almost everybody else there

 

[Badger]

My wife and I were teachers. Not necessarily the best place to rub shoulders with the wealthy elite. I may not know any rich people and I don't care enough about the financial situation of others to find out. So I guess the richest person I know is me.


Cheers!

 

[Rianne]

The OP asked who the richest person you have personally known. He did not say in dollars. I initially responded with my friends dad who donated $20M to a hospital but I don't know their net worth. Then again I have friends who donate hundreds of hours of their time and live frugally. Both are rich in my opinion.