Princeton alumni are not known for taking vows of poverty, and the latest Forbes magazine list of the 400 wealthiest Americans proves that belief.
Of the billionaires who made the magazine's list, 10 are Princeton alumni and three of those 10 are in the top 50.
Published last week, the list, which is in its 25th year, ranks the nation's top billionaires by net worth. Those included on this year's Forbes 400 list are worth at least $ 1.3 billion, a $300 million jump from last year's cutoff. The average net worth this year is $3.8 billion.
Six of the Princeton alumni on the list are self-made billionaires, while four inherited significant amounts of their wealth. Of the 400 members of the list, 270 are entirely self-made.
The highest Tiger in the rankings was 71-year-old investor Carl Icahn '57, whose net worth of $14.5 billion places him at number 18. A philosophy major at the University, Icahn received the McCosh Prize for the finest thesis in his department. He attended medical school but left after two years to work as a stockbroker. Less than 10 years later, he founded his own securities firm.
In 1999, Icahn donated $20 million dollars to the University to create the Icahn Laboratory.
Ranked number 361 is eBay CEO Meg Whitman '77, who donated $30 million toward the construction of Whitman College. She also earned an MBA from Harvard and is worth $1.4 billion. Whitman will be on campus this Thursday to speak at her namesake residential college's dedication ceremony.
Two other Princetonians made the list with money earned in the technology sector: Google CEO Eric Schmidt '76, who is worth $6.5 billion and ranks 48th, and Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos '86, who is worth $8.7 billion and ranks 35th.
Schmidt was an electrical engineering major at Princeton and later earned a PhD from UC Berkeley before beginning work in the technology sector. He joined Google in 2001. He also teaches business at Stanford.
Like Schmidt, Bezos majored in electrical engineering and computer science. He worked on Wall Street in the computer science field after graduation before founding Amazon in 1994. Most of his wealth comes from stock in the company.
Industrialist Henry Hillman '41, ranked at number 117, inherited his family's steel-and-coke fortune but then diversified the firm into real estate. He is now worth $3 billion.
Financial wizards Peter Briger '86 and Michael Novogratz '87 share spot 317. Friends while at Princeton, the two worked together at Goldman Sachs and then joined Fortress Investment group together in 2001, where they are now co-presidents. Appearing on the list for the first time, they are now worth $1.5 billion each.
Three alumni brothers are also on the list and inherited their wealth from their parents, who founded apparel chain Gap, Inc., in 1969. John Fisher '83 also ranked 317 and is worth $1.5 billion. His brothers Robert Fisher '76 and William Fisher '79 tied at 361 with Whitman and are worth $1.4 billion each.
The three men, who donated the money for Fisher Hall in Whitman College, followed their Princeton bachelor's degrees with MBAs from Stanford.
Among top-ranked schools, Harvard has the most undergraduate alumni on the Forbes 400 list, with 16 of America's richest citizens having pursued bachelor's degrees there. That figure includes Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who dropped out of Harvard.
Yale edges out Princeton as well, with 14 alumni on the list. Stanford has nine.
Read More
Economics professor Kate Ho passes away after long battle with cancer
Devon RudolphProfessor Kate Ho made seminal contributions to the economics of modeling competition in the healthcare sector and taught well-loved courses in industrial organization.
Professor Kate Ho made seminal contributions to the economics of modeling competition in the healthcare sector and taught well-loved courses in industrial organization.
Pedestrian left in critical condition after traffic collision on Nassau Street
Luke GrippoThe pedestrian was struck by a westbound 2015 Ford Explorer around 11:32 p.m. The driver was identified in the press release as a 39-year-old Princeton resident who cooperated with officers upon their arrival.
The pedestrian was struck by a westbound 2015 Ford Explorer around 11:32 p.m. The driver was identified in the press release as a 39-year-old Princeton resident who cooperated with officers upon their arrival.
Senior class jacket abruptly changed following accusations of AI design
Vitus LarrieuFor more than a century, Princeton seniors have donned “beer jackets” to protect their clothes during Reunions and commencement celebrations, typically with elaborate designs chosen by a class-wide contest. Now, with a selection process marred by accusations of generative AI use, the Class of 2026 may have written its own spot in Princeton history.
For more than a century, Princeton seniors have donned “beer jackets” to protect their clothes during Reunions and commencement celebrations, typically with elaborate designs chosen by a class-wide contest. Now, with a selection process marred by accusations of generative AI use, the Class of 2026 may have written its own spot in Princeton history.