... president ever if he wins?

>> If he won he would be the WEALTHIEST president to EVER serve.

Forbes magazine disagrees, Mike. They say he would be third behind George Washington and John F. Kennedy. The opening paragraphs of the Forbes article on the subject are reproduced below. For the complete text, see:

http://www.forbes.com/2004/02/13/cx_da_0213kerry.html

----- jim o\-S

The article begins with:

Kerry Would Be Third-Richest U.S. President

by Dan Ackman

NEW YORK - Whatever schoolboy lore says about Abe Lincoln's log cabin or Lyndon Johnson's "Aw shucks" Texas upraising, many, if not most, U.S. presidents were born well-to-do, and nearly all were quite well off by the time they sought the nation's highest office.

A few presidents were spectacularly wealthy, such as the nation's first president, George Washington, who we reckon would have made the Forbes 400 of his day on the strength of his Virginia plantation and his wife's fortune. Others, like Lyndon Johnson and Andrew Jackson, used government service as a springboard to personal fortune.

If the Democratic primaries play out as expected, this year the race for the White House will pit Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts against George W. Bush. President Bush, the second son of a president to attain the office, made our list of the richest presidents partly based on his claim to a family fortune, but mostly because of a windfall on his investment in the Texas Rangers baseball franchise.

The Richest U.S. Presidents

It is difficult to compare personal wealth across historical periods, but below is our best estimate of the relative net worths of the richest five U.S. presidents. The rankings are based on our own calculations and extensive interviews with presidential historians.

Rank ---- Name ------------ Party --------- Term

1. George Washington ----- None ----- 1789-1797
2. John F. Kennedy ------ Democrat -- 1961-1963
--- John F. Kerry ---------- Democrat -------- NA
3. Andrew Jackson ------ Democrat --- 1829-1837
4. Lyndon B. Johnson --- Democrat --- 1963-1969
5. Herbert Hoover ------- Republican -- 1929-1933

Sen. Kerry, like the last JFK from Massachusetts to serve as commander in chief, is also extremely wealthy. We estimate his family fortune at $525 million, which would make him, if elected, the third-richest president ever. But the key word is "family." The Kerry money comes from his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, who inherited it from her late husband, Sen. John Heinz III of the Heinz food family.

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