This railroad tycoon of the Gilded Age was known for swindling and bribing his way to the top.
German immigrant Weyerhäuser is most remembered for the timber company that still bears his name and trades on the New York Stock Exchange.
Stewart, an Irish-born textile manufacturer, made a fortune selling uniforms to the Union Army during the Civil War. He also ran a successful retail dry goods business.
Van Rensselaer came from wealth and went on to be a U.S. Congressman. Although he was once one of the wealthiest Americans in history, he hit hard times and died with nothing but debts.
An interesting side note for fans of Hamilton: Van Rensselaer married Peggy Schuyler.
Mellon was a banker and an industrialist who had a hand in everything from railroads to steel, and with his brother Andrew helped found Gulf Oil, Mellon Bank and the Alcoa Corporation.
Girard was a French-born sea captain who amassed a fleet of trading ships and became a financier, even lending the U.S. Government money during the War of 1812.
Aster was born a poor German immigrant. After starting as a fur trader, moving into real estate, and marrying into a prominent family, he died the richest man in America in 1848.
Scottish immigrant Carnegie founded a steel company that he eventually sold to J.P. Morgan's U.S. Steel, at which point he embarked on a famous campaign of philanthropy and charity.
Rockefeller founded Standard Oil, which controlled the vast majority of oil produced in the U.S. until it was broken up into many of the most recognizable names in the industry today, such as Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips.