The Wealthiest Person In Louisiana

When you think of the richest people in the world, Oprah, Warren Buffet, and Bill Gates come to mind. Forbes comes out with America's 400 Wealthiest People every year, and according to the media and publishing company, these select few are worth an incredible 4.5 trillion dollars combined!

Last year, Forbes estimated that the filthy rich may have lost a collective $500 billion! This year, they got it all back and then some. Talk about ridin' high on the cobb. Reportedly, most of the gains came from rebounding tech stocks.

You won't see Donald Trump on the list. The ex-POTUS had a dip in his portfolio. Forbes reports Trump's fortune reportedly fell 19%, knocking his net worth supposedly to $2.6 billion. Unfortunately for Mr. Trump, to make the list, a person has to earn at least $2.9 billion now!  The net worths for Forbes 2023 400 Club were calculated using stock prices from September 8, 2023.

However, Trump's not alone. Several super-rich Americans like Oprah, Jay-Z, Tom Ford, and more didn't make the cut. See what billionaires were too poor to make the 2023 Forbes 400 Club!

Since the Forbes 400 Club elite represents their home state, do you know who has all the money in Louisiana? Louisiana's wealthiest resident is Mr. William Goldring. He happens to be the chairman of one of the largest alcohol companies in the U.S., the Sazerac Company. According to Forbes, Goldring and his family empire are worth 6 Billion.

The Goldring family has operated the American alcoholic beverage company since the 1980s. Today, Sazerac has operations around the globe but still has a headquarters in Metairie, LA. The company started when Thomas H. Handy purchased a bar called the Sazerac Coffee House (now a museum) in 1869. Ironically, the bar got its name from a cocktail! The famous New Orleans spirit was made in the mid-1800s and included a signature bitter that turns a cocktail red.

Peychaud Bitters, was developed by Creole pharmacist Antoine Amédée Peychaud, who owned a pharmacy on Royal Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1838. Slowly but surely, Handy's company began to acquire and market various liquor brands. The company publishes a Sazerac recipe and still produces Peychaud's Bitters.

Around 1984, William Goldring started buying company shares until he eventually purchased the entire company. They make up two of the largest spirits companies in the United States. Annually, these Spritis brands rake in revenue of more than $1 billion from selling 300 alchoholic brands around the world.