The following infographic reminds us of a great quote from James A. Garfield, twentieth President of the United States: “He who controls the money supply of a nation, controls the nation.” (The operative word being “he.”) Based on that logic — and this colorful graphic prepared by our friends at B2B marketplace Expert Market— a whole lot of guys do the controlling.
We’re heartened to see nine women topping the wealth list in 9 states — although most, like Christy Walton of Wyoming and Alice Walton of Texas, both members of Walmart founder Sam Walton’s family, inherited their money. A standout is Gayle Cooke of Indiana, co-founder of medical device manufacturing business Cook Group Inc.
The good news: A heck of a lot of the 50 richest people are self-made millionaires or billionaires, from Bill Gates in Washington to Pierre Omidyar in Hawaii. So no matter your gender, entrepreneurship appears to be a clear path toward fortune — and possibly, to echo a former president’s thinking, power and influence.
Check out the infographic below to see who else made the list:
