Massachusetts

The 7 richest people in Massachusetts, according to Forbes


Forbes magazine released its annual list of the 400 richest people in the United States this week, and this year seven of them live in Massachusetts.

All seven Bay Staters who made the list increased their wealth in the past year. According to Forbes, the nation’s super-rich lost a collective $500 billion in 2022.

Overall, it seems 2023 has been a windfall year for America’s wealthiest. Together, Forbes reported, they are worth $4.5 trillion, tying a record set in 2021. The magazine credited “rebounding technology stocks” for their financial success.

Forbes says in determining net worth, it considers all types of assets, including stakes in public and private companies, real estate, high value possessions, and more.

1. Abigail Johnson, age 61, $25.5 billion

Abigail Johnson, chairman and chief executive officer of Fidelity Investments, in 2022. – Barry Chin/The Boston Globe, File

Abigail Johnson, the CEO of Boston’s Fidelity Investments, was crowned the richest person in Massachusetts on this year’s Forbes list. She is the 29th richest person in the U.S., according to the magazine. 

Johnson owns an estimated 28.5% of the firm and is the granddaughter of Edward Johnson, II, who founded Fidelity in 1946, Forbes reported.

The CEO has “embraced cryptocurrencies,” according to Forbes. She got her start working at Fidelity when home from college during summers, and joined as a full-time analyst in 1988. 

The CEO lives in Milton and is married with two children, according to Forbes. She has a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.

2. Robert Kraft, age 82, $11.1 billion

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft in July 2023. – Bruce Kluckhohn/AP Photo

Robert Kraft is the CEO of Kraft Group and the owner of the New England Patriots since 1994. According to Forbes, he is the 62nd wealthiest person in the U.S. 

Kraft has a master’s in business administration from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University, Forbes reported. In addition to the Patriots, he also owns the New England Revolution professional soccer team.

The CEO lives in Brookline and has four children. 

3. Edward Johnson, IV, age 58, $10.6 billion

Another grandchild of Fidelity Investments founder Edward Johnson II, Edward Johnson, IV is current Fidelity CEO Abigail Johnson’s brother. According to Forbes, he is the 64th richest person in the U.S. 

Johnson is the president of Pembroke Real Estate, which is owned by FMR, Fidelity’s parent company. He lives in Boston and has a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University, Forbes reported

4. Elizabeth Johnson, age 60, $8.7 billion

Another member of the Johnson family, Elizabeth Johnson, is also a grandchild of Edward Johnson, II and is Abigail Johnson’s sister. She is the 99th wealthiest person in the U.S., according to Forbes. 

In 2013, Johnson founded a Florida-based show horse stable called Louisburg Farm. She lives in Boston and has a bachelor’s degree from New Hampshire’s Franklin Pierce University, Forbes reported

5. Robert Hale Jr., age 57, $5.4 billion

Robert Hale Jr., CEO of Granite Telecommunications, in 2017. – Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe

Robert Hale Jr., CEO of Granite Telecommunications, founded the company in 2002, according to Forbes. He is the 203rd richest person in the U.S.

Hale founded Granite less than six months after his previous company, Network Plus,  filed for bankruptcy, Forbes reported. Granite boasted over $1.8 billion in sales in 2022, and claims that more than two thirds of the 100 largest companies in the U.S. are clients.

The CEO has donated more than $270 million to cancer researchers, educational institutions, and other charitable causes, according to Forbes. He is married, lives in Boston, and has a bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College. 

6. Jim Davis & family, age 80, $5.1 billion

Former Gov. Charlie Baker, right, with Jim Davis, the chairman of New Balance, in 2022. – Matthew Lee/The Boston Globe

Jim Davis, chairman of New Balance, bought the Boston shoe company in 1972 and turned it into a powerhouse, with yearly sales in the billions, Forbes reported. He and his family took the 215th slot in the magazine’s list of the wealthiest people in the U.S. 

Davis’s wife Anna joined the company in 1977 and is now the vice chairman. New Balance is still a privately held company, and the Davis family owns 95%, according to Forbes. 

Davis has two children, lives in Newton, and has a bachelor’s degree from Vermont’s Middlebury College.  

7. Amos Hostetter Jr., age 86, $3.5 billion

Amos Hostetter Jr. circa 2000. – Handout

Amos Hostetter Jr. made his fortune as a pioneer in cable television in the 1990s, according to Forbes. He is the 326th richest person in the U.S.

In the 1960s when Hostetter got his start, he had little besides a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University, Forbes reported. He invested in a cable TV company that eventually became Continental Cablevision, and in 1996, he sold it for $11 billion. 

Hostetter currently leads Pilot House Ventures, an early-stage investment firm, according to Forbes. He has a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College and a master’s in business administration from Harvard University

He lives in Boston and is married with three children. 

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