Walmart Heiress Keeps Title as Richest Texan in Forbes' 2018 Billionaire Ranking

The billionaires' club in Texas now stands at 52.That's the count in Forbes' new ranking of the world's billionaires. It's the magazine's most comprehensive ranking of the wealthiest people on the planet.In Texas, Walmart heiress Alice Walton of Fort Worth retains her title as the Lone Star State's richest person, with a net worth of $46 billion. Her fortune grew from $38.2 billion in October, when Forbes released its ranking of richest Americans.Walton, 68, the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, ranks 16th among the world's 2,208 billionaires. She is more than twice as wealthy as Texas' second richest resident, Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell, whose net worth is estimated at $22.7 billion.In Dallas, Beal Bank founder Andrew Beal remains the city's richest resident at $11.6 billion -- up from $10.9 billion in the fall.Other North Texans on the 2018 ranking are:Omni Hotels owner Robert Rowling, 64: $5.8 billionDallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, 75: $5.6 billionFort Worth oilman and investor Robert Bass, 69: $4.9 billionHunt Consolidated CEO Ray Hunt, 74: $4.9 billionChief Oil & Gas founder Trevor Rees-Jones, 66: $4.8 billionH. Ross Perot Sr., 87: $4.1 billionEnergy Transfer CEO Kelcy Warren, 62: $4.1 billionDallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, 59: $3.7 billionFort Worth oilman and investor Sid Bass, 75: $3.3 billionBanking investor Gerald Ford, 73, of Dallas: $2.9 billionPipeline magnate and Texas Rangers owner Ray Davis, 76: $2.7 billionTPG private equity firm co-founder David Bonderman, 75: $2.6 billionFort Worth oilman and investor Edward Bass, 72: $2.5 billionFort Worth oilman and investor Lee Bass, 61: $2.5 billionThe top three on Forbes' list -- Amazon founder Jeff Bezos ($112 billion), Microsoft founder Bill Gates ($90 billion) and Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett ($84 billion) -- all have Texas connections. Bezos' extensive Texas land holdings are home to Amazon's largest wind energy project, his 10,000-year clock project and his commercial rocket company's suborbital lanuch facility. Gates' wife, Melinda, is a Dallas native. And Buffett's Berkshire portfolio includes many Texas businesses.  Continue reading...