The Walton family, put simply, is the wealthiest family in America. Family patriarch Sam Walton founded the retail Goliath, Walmart, in 1962. Today, the company earns more than $500 million in annual sales from its 12,000 stores found all around the world.
The Walton family is estimated to be worth a little more than $163 billion. To put this in perspective, this is more than $70 billion more than the nation’s second wealthiest family, the Koch’s. The Walton family still owns a controlling interest in the corporation with a 50.8 per cent stake.
Sam Walton passed away in 1992 and left his fortune to the four children he shared with his wife Helen: Samuel Robson, John, James and Alice. The eldest son, Rob, took over for his father and served as Chairman of the Board until 2015. John Walton died in a plane crash in 2005 and is survived by his wife Christy. Jim Walton served on the Board of Directors until 2016 when he was replaced by his son Steuart.
Jim still serves as Chairman of the Board of the Arvest Bank, which is owned by the family. Alice had no interest in the family’s corporate affairs and instead chose a life as a patron of the arts. She fell in love with arts as a young girl and followed that passion through her adult life.
