The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-12-14
THE WORLDS RICHEST MEN.
George Gould the Youngest American to II
herite Such Enormous Wealth.

george UOotQ the IOunReet american 70 In
herite Such Enormous Wealth.
New York Press.
George Gould at twenty-eight IL the
youngest American who has inherited an
estate that gives employ ment TO 100, 200
men. The three successive Ast0rs have
each been over forty before they Inherited
their fathers fortunes. William H.. Van
were forty-two and thirty-six when he
died. The RotbschIlds are all q long
lived race, n no one OF them has ever
reached the family control at SO youthful
an age. The second Rothschiid was thirty
min when he became head OF the house.
Though Mayer ROtbschild. the founder of
the English banking-hOuse. mace his great
est coup at thirty-three. he was succeeded
by his son at the age of twenty-eIRht, the on
~ one of the family VINO has had great re-
sLonsibilities before he reached thirty.
= Under the system of allied branches. how
ever, begun by the founder of the house, the
Rothsohild policy hasalways been under the
control of the men near fifty. and this has
been the rule in the two or three English
ducsl fortunes which turn 5000 0o0. Ten
years under JaysGould and the control of
$780, 600, 600 are, however. enough to sober
any man and max him old before his time,
and no one looks on George Gould as youth
full His instincts are conservative. He
will probably leave to Jay Gould. jr.. some
time q much greater fortune than he now
ipherits from Jay Gould the first.
When John Jacob Astor died in 1S4s.
worth SIS, 600, 900, he left SO, O00. 00O more
than the richest American before him.
But in the last ten years at least two men.
w. H. Vanderbilt and the second John
Jacob Aston, have died with fortunes
twice this size. and Mr.. John L. Rookie
worth 500, 600. 900. IL is estimated that
there are only seven American fortunes of
over $50, OO0, 600, Huntington, Sage, William
Rockefeller. Stanford. Mrs. Green and Will
lam Aston; SIX of over $50. 100000 ID. o.
Mills. Armour, Searles. Charles Crocker's
estate, Henry Hilton and the l.. S. Higgins
estate. OF fortunes of over $40. 600. 00J there
are seventeen.
NJ. C.. de Yarigny. in an article in the
Revue des Deux Mondes for May, 1890,
placed the fortunes of 5 $780, 600 and over
In the United States re 100. and in the
world at 200. distributed as follows:
England. zoo ussia...-.....-... so
United states3-s.Io 100 50
France 7H =
700
The number of such fortunes in this coun-
try ie now perhaps nearer two hundred.
and they are probably, abont a quarter
those In the world. The United States
is, in proportion TO population. by far the
richest of the worlds greater countries,
though the DER capita wealth of the Aus
ITALIAN colonies ls greater. reaching In VIC
toria nearly twice the ordinary estimate
for this country of 81. 900 a person.
Great Britain has. Mr.. Goschen. Chancel-
lor of the Excbeaner. said IN a speech five
years ago, ninety-fiys persons w no have an
income OF over S25O,0 600 a year. The largest
fortune in personal property left in Eng
land from $50 TO 1850 was Baron l.. n. De
Rothschild's. of Sl3.500.000. In this time
there were only thirteen men who left
over S5.oJo.00o; hfty-six who left over s2.-
SOC. OOO. and 1875 who left Sl,25O,0O0. This,
il is true. makes no account of real estate.
and English fortunes are more iarReiy IN
realty than those OF any other country. In
1eso sixteen English lsndholders were esti-
mated To have rent-rolis outside of London
of Si75, 600 q year or more. OF these, three.
the Duke of Northumb bertrand, Earl Derby
and Sir j. w. Ramsden. were credited with
eSO0.0O0 annually; three, the Dukes OF
Devonshire and Bedford and Sir Lawrence
Polk, with s6O0, 600. and the rest with lesser
sums.
The average of European fortunes Is be-
low that of England and this country.
Prince Sohwartzen berg. the richest man in
Austria. with 10 square miles Of territory,
was said to have left s65 900. 900 when he
died a few years ago. There are two or