When Forbes this week released its 2013 Richest People in America list, Springfieldian
Johnny Morris checked in at No. 110.
The 65-year-old Morris, a Forbes 400 newcomer, is among six Missourians, led by Jack Taylor and family (No. 36, $11.4 billion) of Enterprise-Rent-A-Car in St. Louis. Columbia sports and real estate magnate
Stanley Kroenke and his wife, Ann Walton Kroenke, are Nos. 84 and 95, respectively. Combined, they represent $10 billion in net worth, according to Forbes.
Forbes says Morris, a private, self-made businessman, has contributed $4 million to Community Foundation of the Ozarks, $1 million to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and $900,000 to Curt Gowdy State Park in Wyoming. The publication also identifies key connections for him as retailers Tadashi Yanai and family of Asian apparel company Fast Retailing, self-made Spanish billionaire Amancio Ortega of the Zara brand, and Frenchman Bernard Arnault and family of the Louis Vuitton brand.
Pictured on the
cover of the Forbes 400 is Bill Gates (No. 1, again, at $72 billion), Warren Buffett (No. 2 at $58.5 billion) and Oprah Winfrey (No. 184, but No.1 on The Celebrity 100, at $2.9 billion).
Arvest Bank Chairman and CEO Jim Walton, the youngest son of Wal-Mart Stores founder Sam Walton, is listed No. 7 with a $33.8 billion net worth, but he’s not the highest-ranked Walton. Members of the Walton family rank Nos. 6–9, with Christy Walton and her family leading the Walton fortunes with $35.4 billion. Alice Walton, who spearheaded development of
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark., is No. 8 at $33.5 billion. Combined, the Waltons in Forbes’ top 10 amass $136 billion in wealth.
The Forbes 400 comes
months after Bloomberg pinned Morris’ fortune through Bass Pro Shops and Tracker Marine at $2.8 billion on its billionaires index, the first public look at Morris’ net worth.