Self-Made Men and Women, Page 3
People who became wealthy starting from nothing
(excluding people in literature, the arts, and sports.)
- Abramovich, Roman
- Bokassa I
- Brady, John Green
- Brown, Leslie Calvin
- Bustamante, William Alexander
- Catherine I
- Cerullo, Morris
- Chanel, Gabrielle Bonheur
- Clinton, William Jefferson
- Cochran, Jacqueline
- Ellison, Lawrence J. (Larry)
- Glazier, Sidney
- Jackson, Andrew
- Jobs, Steven Paul
- Massow, Ivan
- McDaid, Desmond
- Monaghan, Thomas
- Morley, Eric Douglas
- Myners, Paul
- Nanbaree
- Nguyen, Martine (see under Bokassa I)
- Perkins, Charles
- Pidgley, Tony
- Radisson, Pierre-Esprit
- Reynolds, George
- Richardson, Anna Ryder
- Robbins, Harold
- Spencer, Percy LaBaron
- Stanhope, Albert
- Templer, James
- Thomas, R. David
- Walker, C.J.
- Weinstock, Arnold
- White, Donald Edwin
- White, Eartha Mary Magdalene
- Wilkins, George
- Zhang Xianzhong (under Sun Kewang)
Nguyen, Martine (see under Bokassa I)
Jean-Bédel Bokassa was born to a married couple, and his father was a chief. His father was murdered by the French colonial occupiers when he was six, and his mother committed suicide a wee... [more]
Perkins, Charles
Perkins was born in Alice Springs. His father was an Aboriginal; sources differ about whether his mother was an Aboriginal or European. When he was 10 he became one of the Stolen Generat... [more]
Pidgley, Tony
Pidgley is the co-founder and head of the Berkeley Group, one of Britain's largest up-market house builders, and also of Thirlstone Homes. He was a Barnardo boy before being adopted aged... [more]
Radisson, Pierre-Esprit
Radisson was born in France and emigrated to Canada in 1651 with his family. Within months, while out walking with friends he was captured by the Iroquois (one source says the Mohawks), who... [more]
Reynolds, George
Reynolds was born into poverty in Sunderland, England, went into an orphanage-workhouse when he was eight and came out at 16, illiterate and unskilled. He became a common criminal and was s... [more]
Richardson, Anna Ryder
Richardson was adopted as a baby and had a happy childhood. She has been a model and a fitness instructor, but in the early 1990s she began an design business (although she has had no forma... [more]
Robbins, Harold
Robbins was born Francis Kane in a New York slum and never knew his parents. He was placed in a Catholic orphanage and had several temporary foster families before finally being adopted by ... [more]
Spencer, Percy LaBaron
Spencer's father died when he was 18 months old and his mother left home, leaving him to be brought up by his uncle and aunt, a poor farming family in Maine. His uncle died when he was seve... [more]
Stanhope, Albert
Stanhope was a Child Migrant to Australia. Born to an unmarried woman in England, he was placed in an orphanage because she was unable to work and care for him, having no family back-up. ... [more]
Templer, James
Templer was born to a poor family in Exeter. He was orphaned at the age of six and placed in St. John's Hospital, a school for destitute young children. He was apprenticed at 14 to a joiner... [more]
