Gerald J. Ford: An American Billionaire Entrepreneur

Gerald J. Ford, born in 1944 to a Texas farmer, has a net worth of $2.1 billion. He earned his fortune through buying and selling banks, with his first bank purchased for $1.2 million in 1975 and later sold for $80 million. Ford was the Chairman and CEO of Golden State Bancorp, Inc, the fourth largest bank in California, which he sold to Citigroup for $6 billion in 2002 with his partner, Ron Perelman. Currently, Ford serves as the Chairman of Hilltop Holdings, an insurance company and bank, and the Managing Director of Ford Financial Fund. He also sits on the Board of Freeport-McMoRan, a leading gold and copper extractor.

Aside from his business ventures, Ford is a great philanthropist and sits on many trustees and committee boards. He has interests in various corporations, including Pacific Capital Bancorp, Rio Hondo Land & Cattle Company, Diamond Ford Dallas, AmeriCredit, American Residential Cmnts LLC, Scientific Games Corp, and SWS Group. Recently, he sold his 76% stake in Pacific Capital Bancorp to Mitsubishi UFJ for $1.15 billion. The Ford family owns residential properties in Manhattan, Dallas, and the Hamptons, as well as a thoroughbred farm in Kentucky.

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