For nearly 30 years,
Forbes
has politely investigated rich people's lives and compiled its
.
Forbes
' list is a thrilling look at an incredible amount of wealth. Combined, the 1,800-or-so billionaires are worth $7.05 trillion. With a T.
Forty-nine of those people are from Texas. You'll recognize some of the names, such as Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban or Michael Dell of Dell computers. But did you know the man who part-owns Patrón tequila is a billionaire -- and that he also made a fortune selling shampoo? Did you know a man named Gerald Ford (who was not the president) is also a billionaire?
Twenty-three of the 49 Texans are from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to Forbes' records. They are:
- $39.4 billion: Alice Walton, a Wal-Mart heir
- $11.7 billion: Andrew Beal, banking
- $6.2 billion: Kelcy Warren, oil and gas owner and philanthropist who named Dallas' Klyde Warren Park
- $5.6 billion: Ray Lee Hunt, of Hunt Oil
- $5.4 billion: Robert Rowling, Omni Hotels investor
- $4.3 billion: Trevor Rees-Jones, of Chief Oil & Gas
- $4.2 billion: Jerry Jones, owner of Dallas Cowboys and former oil wildcatter
- $3.7 billion: H. Ross Perot, Sr., founder of Plano's Electronic Data Systems (EDS) and Perot Systems
- $3.1 billion: Ray Davis, of Energy Transfer Equity and co-owner of the Texas Rangers
- $3 billion: Mark Cuban, owner of Dallas Mavericks and dot-com entrepreneur
- $2.8 billion: Richard Rainwater, investor
- $2.7 billion: Robert Bass, heir to oil fortune
- $2.6 billion: David Bonderman, private equity
- $2.4 billion: Timothy Headington, oil and gas magnate turned film and real estate investor
- $2.1 billion: Gerald Ford, banking
- $2 billion: Edward Bass, oil and gas
- $2 billion: Lee Bass, oil and gas
- $1.75 billion: H. Ross Perot, Jr., real estate and computer services
- $1.7 billion: Sid Bass, oil and gas
- $1.7 billion: W. Herbert Hunt, of oil and gas company Petro-Hunt and Halcon
- $1.5 billion: Darwin Deason, who sold his company to Xerox
- $1.5 billion: Todd Wagner, online media entrepreneur
- $1.45 billion: Kenny Troutt, owner of telecommunications companies
Of course, not all the billionaires in Texas live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. (Though many do.) Here are the other Texans who made the list:
- $19.2 billion: Michael Dell, of Dell computers
- $12.3 billion: Charles Butt, of HEB Grocery Company
- $12 billion: Richard Kinder, of oil and gas pipeline firm Kinder Morgan
- $6.2 billion (each): Dannine Avara, Scott Duncan and Milane Frantz, all heirs to energy pipeline company Enterprise Products Partners
- $6.1 billion: Randa Williams, runs energy pipeline company Enterprise Products Partners
- $4.9 billion: Jeffrey Hildebrand, of oil and gas company Hilcorp
- $3.3 billion: Dan Friedkin, of Gulf States Toyota
- $2.8 billion: John Paul DeJoria, co-founder of hair products company Paul Mitchell and part-owner of Patrón Spirits Company
- $2.7 billion: George Bishop, oil and gas tycoon
- $2.6 billion: John Arnold, hedge funds
- $2.5 billion: Tilman Fertitta, of Landry's restaurant group and Golden Nugget Casinos
- $2.4 billion: Robert McNair, energy exec and owner of Houston Texans
- $2.2 billion: Drayton McLane, Jr, who sold his logistics company to Sam Walton (of Wal-Mart)
- $2.2 billion: Fayez Sarofim, investor
- $2.1 billion: Rodney Lewis, owner of energy-related companies
- $1.8 billion: Billy Joe (Red) McCombs, has a stake in 400 businesses, including pro-sports teams, communications, cattle, oil and more
- $1.7 billion: Joe Jamail, wealthiest practicing attorney in the nation, Forbes says
- $1.6 billion: David Booth, mutual funds
- $1.6 billion: Leslie Alexander, owner of the Houston Rockets
- $1.5 billion: Christopher Goldsbury, sold Pace Picante to Campbell Soup
- $1.5 billion: Paul Foster, founder of oil refining company
- $1.35 billion (each): Dan and Farris Wilks, founders of a fracking company
- $1.3 billion: James Leininger, creator of medical devices and founder of the Texas Public Policy Foundation
