RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Every year, Forbes Magazine ranks the 400 richest people in the United States as part of their Forbes 400 project – and this year, five Virginians made the list, with a combined wealth of over $50 billion.
According to Forbes, making their list only became more competitive this year, as billionaires raked in cash throughout the pandemic – and became less generous with their money, contributing less to philanthropy.
Jacqueline Mars and Pamela Mars-Wright – #21 and #108 ($31.8 Billion and $8 Billion)
Although Jacqueline Mars retired from the Mars Candy Company, which her family founded, in 2001, she still holds a massive stake in the company.
She also reportedly owns and operates an organic farm in Fauquier County, Virginia which she has placed under the protection of the Land Trust of Virginia.
Her niece Pamela Mars, meanwhile, owns a smaller stake in the company, which she inherited from her father, Jacqueline’s brother.
Mars-Wright is also the youngest Virginian on the list – at a spry 61.
Daniel D’Aniello – #240 ($4.6 Billion)
Daniel D’Aniello, who lives just outside the beltway in Vienna, Virginia, is the co-founder of the Carlyle Group, which was formerly run by Governor Glenn Youngkin.
D’Aniello is something of a conservative activist himself, serving as the chairman of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank that advocates for lower taxes on corporations and fewer regulations on business.
William Conway, Jr. – #281 ($4 billion)
No surprises here – Conway is another co-founder of the Carlyle Group, living near his business partner in Virginia’s McMansion capital, McLean.
Conway’s son made national headlines when he ran in the Democratic primary against Chicago’s incumbent prosecutor, a race he ultimately lost. Much of his son’s campaign funding came from Conway’s fortune.
Winifred J. Marquart – #318 ($3.6 billion)
The ‘J’ stands for Johnson – as in S.C. Johnson, the multinational chemical company. Marquart is the great-great-granddaughter of the company’s founder.
Marquart lives in Hampton Roads, according to the Virginian-Pilot.