Rich People - Who They Are
and where they live if you read the article.

After reading this huffpo article identifying the richest person in each state I decided I wanted to know more about what these people did to get there. Here is a poorly curated list ignoring the Waltons because, you know, Walllmarts. I'm sure these aren't the most interesting stories, but I was surprised at how many people didn't simply inherit all their wealth.

Phil Knight Nike http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Knight

Larry Ellison Oracle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Ellison

Sheldon Adelson casinos http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheldon_Adelson

Frank VanderSloot multilevel marketing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Vandersloot

Jon Huntsman, Sr. polystyrene and chemicals http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Huntsman,_Sr.

Bruce Halle Discount Tire http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Halle

Dennis Washington (montana) Construction http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Washington

charles Ergen Dish Network and EchoStar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ergen

Maloof Brothers Gaming and beverage distributors http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maloof_family

Gary Tharaldson Hotels http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Tharaldson

T. Denny Sanford credit cards for poor people http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._Denny_Sanford

Harold Hamm oil, shale http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Hamm

Whitney MacMillan cargill http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_MacMillan

Harry Stine seed http://www.stineseed.com/about-stine/media/company-leadership/harry-h-stine/

Jack Taylor Enterprise Rent-A-Car http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_C._Taylor

Tom Benson car dealerships/lucky investments http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Benson

Jon Menard Hardware Stores http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Menard,_Jr.

Ken Griffin Hege Funds, Citadel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_C._Griffin

Leslie Lampton, oil refining and distribution http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergon,_Inc.

Hank and Doug Meijer retail http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meijer

Gayle Cook medical devices http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Cook_(entrepreneur)

Bradley Hughes public storage dba a REIT http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._Wayne_Hughes

Thomas Frist KFC and for-profit hospitals http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_F._Frist,_Jr.

Leslie Wexner Retail - Limited Brands http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Wexner

Marguerite Harbert inherited from construction work http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_M._Harbert

Jim Justice mining grain farms http://www.forbes.com/profile/jim-justice-ii/

Anne Cox Chambers media http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Cox_Chambers

Charles Johnson mutual funds http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Bartlett_Johnson

Mary Alice Dorrance Malone campbell soup http://www.forbes.com/profile/mary-alice-dorrance-malone/

Jacqueline Mars mars candy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacqueline_Mars

James Goodnight SAS http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Goodnight

Anita Zucker married to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Zucker_(businessman)

John Abele Boston Scientific http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Abele

Leon Gorman retail, L.L. Bean http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Gorman

Rick Cohen wholesale groceries http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_B._Cohen

Abigail Johnson Fidelity family money http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abigail_Johnson

Jonathan Nelson founded Providence Equity Partners http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_M._Nelson

Ray Dalio Bridgewater http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Dalio

David Tepper finance http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Tepper

Robert Gore Teflon, Gore-Tex http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_W._Gore

Ted Lerner real estate development http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Lerner