6 VA, DC Billionaires On Forbes List Of Richest Americans 2019

WASHINGTON, DC — America's richest keep getting richer. The wealthiest Americans on the annual Forbes 400 list grew their combined net worth by just over 2 percent from the previous year, making them worth $2.96 trillion in 2019.

Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon, is once again at the top of the list. His ex-wife, Mackenzie Bezos, who got 25 percent of the couple's shares in Amazon as part of their divorce settlement, is now the 15th richest person in America, according to the list.

In Virginia, five people were among the 400 richest in America in 2019, while D.C. resident President Donald Trump also made the list.

According to Forbes, the minimum net worth to qualify for the list is $2.1 billion. The average wealth of those on the list increased by $200 million to $7.4 billion, Forbes writes.

With the vast amounts of wealth in the pockets of those on the exclusive list, Forbes notes that a number of high-profile billionaires such as Kylie Jenner and Michael Jordan, didn't even make the list.

These are the five Virginia residents on the Forbes 400 list:

• No. 19. Jacqueline Mars (Mars), The Plains, Net worth: $29.7 billion
• No. 70 Pamela Mars (Mars), Alexandria, Net worth: $7.4 billion
• No. 195 Winifred Johnson-Marquart (Johnson Family Foundation), Virginia Beach, Net worth: $3.9 billion
• No. 275. William Conway Jr. (Carlyle Group), McLean Net worth: $3.1 billion
• No. 275. Daniel D'Aniello (Carlyle Group), Vienna Net worth: $3.1 billion

Here's a look at who these billionaires are and how they came into their wealth:

Jacqueline Mars and her siblings inherited McLean-based Mars Inc., in 1999 when their father, Forrest Sr., died. Mars is known for candy (3 Musketeers, M&Ms, MilkyWay, etc.) but has many other brands outside the sweets area, including pet food and gum.

Pamela Mars is an heir to her family's candy and pet food fortune. She and her three sisters each inherited an estimated 8 percent stake in Mars Incorporated when their father, Forrest Mars Jr., died in 2016.

Winifred Johnson-Marquart is president of the Johnson Family Foundation and an heir to the SC Johnson family fortune. The SC Johnson Co. is best known for brands such as Ziploc, Glade, Drano and Pledge.

William Conway Jr. is one of three billionaires who founded and control the $178 billion private equity firm Carlyle Group. He serves as co-CEO along with David Rubenstein. Daniel D'Aniello is chairman. They took the firm public in 2012; Conway previously worked for MCI Communications as CFO.

Daniel D'Aniello is one of the co-founders of private equity firm Carlyle Group. Today he runs the day-to-day operations of the firm. Forbes notes D'Aniello's humble beginnings, growing up in Butler, Pennsylvania, working to help his single mom by bagging groceries. He attended Syracuse University on a scholarship and went on to earn an MBA from Harvard. D'Aniello has made charitable gifts to several universities, including Syracuse.

Donald Trump, who was a lifelong New Yorker until winning the White House in 2016, ranks at No. 275 on the list with a net worth of $3.1 billion, earned in television and real estate.

The top 10 richest people in America for 2019 are:

1. Jeff Bezos: $114 billion
2. Bill Gates: $106 billion
3. Warren Buffett: $80.8 billion
4. Mark Zuckerberg: $69.6 billion
5. Larry Ellison: $65 billion
6. Larry Page: $55.5 billion
7. Sergey Brin: $53.5 billion
8. Michael Bloomberg: $53.4 billion
9. Steve Ballmer: $51.7 billion
10. Jim Walton: $51.6 billion

See the full list and read more via Forbes.