America's 15
Richest Members Of Congress
It's no secret that members of Congress are much
more wealthy than the rest of the country.
The average
net worth of a Senator is more than $14
million, and the average net worth of a member
of the House of Representatives is nearly $6
million.
Thanks
to analysis from The Hill, we've
put together the richest of the rich, looking
at the top 15 members of Congress and how
they're worth.
We also look at how they made the money and —
most of all — where they keep it.
We count them down from No. 15 to No. 1. All
facts and figures come from The Hill's
analysis.
#15: Rep. Rick Berg
(R-ND) is worth $23.8 million.
Berg owns lots of North Dakota farmland, where
most of his money comes from, and also owns
hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of
cattle.
#14: Rep. Diane Black
(R-Tenn.) is worth $24.8 million.
Black — a former nurse — is married to Dr.
David Black, whose investments have been
performing particularly well. The couple also
owns lots of real estate.
#13: Rep. Nancy Pelosi
(D-Calif.) is worth $26.4 million.
Pelosi's husband, Paul, is an investor. He
holds a stake in the United Football League
and has investments in a wide array of
companies.
#12: Rep. Chellie
Pingree (D-Maine) is worth at least $31.8
million.
Pingree shot up the list this year after he
marriage to hedge fund manager Donald Sussman.
Sussman has been described as a billionaire by
some sources.
#11: Rep. Vern Buchanan
(R-Fla.) is worth $36.5 million.
Buchanan made his money through a printing
company franchise and a series of auto
dealerships.
#10: Rep. Jim Renacci
(R-Ohio) is worth $36.7 million.
Renacci is a self-made millionaire who founded
LTC Management Services prior to coming to
Congress. He's also got assets in five mutual
funds.
#9: Sen. Dianne
Feinstein (D-Calif.) is worth $47.2 million.
Feinstein is married to investment banker
Richard Blum, who owns a huge and diversified
portfolio.
#8: Sen. Frank
Lautenberg (D-N.J.) is worth $56.9 million.
Lautenberg started Automated Data Processing,
the massive payroll company, prior to taking a
seat in the Senate. He also has a stake in
Amazon.com that is worth quite a bit of money.
#7: Sen. Richard
Blumenthal (D-Conn.) is worth $80.1 million.
Blumenthal is married to Cynthia Malkin, the
daughter of real estate mogul Peter Malkin.
The pair's stake in Malkin Holding became
worth a lot more in 2011 and they share a
number of trusts.
#6: Sen. Jay Rockefeller
(D-W. Va.) is worth $83.1 million.
Rockefeller is the great-grandson of John D.
Rockefeller, one of the richest men in
history. Most of his money is derived from
various trusts and investments.
#5: Senator Mark Warner
(D-Va.) is worth $85.9 million.
Warner made his money as a broker for
telecommunications contracts in the eighties.
He was the founder and Managing Director of
Columbia Capital and made a fortune as an
early investor in Nextel prior to becoming the
Governor of Virginia.
He's now got a diverse portfolio and has
assets in a number of investment funds.
#4. Rep. Jared Polis
(D-Colo.) is worth $91.1 million.
Polis started American Information Systems
while at Princeton and later would go on to
help launch websites like ProFlowers.com.
He's got a hugely diversified portfolio and
is invested in many tech companies.
#3: Rep. Darrell Issa
(R-Calif.) is worth $140.6 million.
Issa made his money with Directed Electronics,
a company that he founded. They are the
largest manufacturer of car alarms, and it's
Issa's voice you hear when "Please Step Away
From The Vehicle" sounds off.
Issa's wealth plunged this year by $80
million.
#2: Sen. John Kerry
(D-Mass.) is worth $198.8 million.
Kerry's wealth increased by $5 million this
year. Most of Kerry's money comes from his
wife Theresa, an heiress to the Heinz Ketchup
fortune.
Kerry also has a diverse portfolio and
investments in multiple funds and land.
#1: Rep. Michael McCaul
(R-Texas) is worth $290.5 million.
McCaul's father-in-law is the founder of Clear
Channel Communications, the radio powerhouse
company.
Most of his wealth is tied up in family
trusts and various partnerships.
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