The Secret of Rich & Famous American

Christy Ruth Walton

Christy Ruth Walton (born 1955) is the widow of John T. Walton, who was a son of Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart.

American businesswoman, Christy Ruth Walton, has a net worth of $24.5 billion as of September 2011, according to Forbes’ list of billionaires. The widow of John Walton, who was a son of Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart.

After the former Green Beret and Vietnam war medic died in an airplane accident near his home in Wyoming on June 27, 2005 at aged 58, she inherited his fortune of $15.7 billion. She got an extra bump in her fortune because of her late husband’s early investment in First Solar; shares up more than 400% since 2006 initial public offering. But bulk still comes from her shares in Wal-Mart, the retailer founded by her father-in-law Sam Walton and his brother James in 1962. Today Wal-Mart has sales of $421 billion, and employs more than 2.1 million people. The philanthropist supports museums, education and organic gardening.

Condé Nast Portfolio magazine ranked her the highest female philanthropist, according to the amount she gives as a percentage of her wealth. Between 2002 and 2006, she contributed billions from her then $16.3 billion net worth towards philanthropic efforts. Additionally, she supports her family’s own charitable foundation, the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation, which prioritizes education and benefits colleges such as the University of Arkansas, the College of Business Administration of the University of Arkansas, and several other colleges, community trusts, universities and foundations. In 2007, her family’s foundation donated as much as $1.6 billion.