Brookline's Robert Kraft Makes Forbes Richest List

Brookline resident and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is worth $4.8 billion, earning him a spot on the Forbes 400.

Kraft was one of six Massachusetts residents to make the annual list of the richest Americans. Bill Gates was No. 1 with a worth of $72 billion.

Kraft was ranked No. 106 overall, an improvement over his 2014 ranking at No. 122.

“(Kraft) fought hard to keep star quarterback Tom Brady from serving a 4-game suspension over Deflategate, a scandal over accusations that the Pats used soft balls in a playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts,” Forbes wrote. “Kraft won, and Brady was on the field for the season’s first snap. Kraft bought the Pats for $172 million in 1995 with profits from his paper-manufacturing conglomerate. The team is now worth $3.2 billion.”

These are all six Bay State residents on the list:

• No. 31 Abigail Johnson, president-CEO of Fidelity Investments, worth $13.5 billion, lives in Milton.
• No. 59 Edward Johnson, III, money manager, $7.4 billion, Boston.
• No. 106 Robert Kraft, chairman and CEO of the Kraft Group, $4.8 billion, Brookline.
• No. 124 Jim Davis, chairman of New Balance, $4.4 billion, Newton.
• No. 209 Amos Hostetter, Jr., chair, Pilot House Associates, $3.1 billion, Boston.
• No. 392 Herb Chambers, car dealerships, $1.7 billion, Boston.

Those on the Forbes list must have a worth of $1.7 billion, up $150 million from a year ago.

Photo: Patriots.com