Alice Walton top Texan on Forbes billionaire list

Alice Walton, the Wal-Mart heiress, continues to reign as the richest Texan on Forbes’ 31st annual list of the world’s billionaires.

Walton, 67, is ranked 17th overall with $33.8 billion in estimated net worth, according to the 2017 list released Monday. She comes in far ahead of the next Texan on the list, Dell computer chairman Michael Dell, who is ranked 38th with a net worth of $20.4 billion.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates stayed in the Forbes top spot for the fourth year in a row at $86 billion. He’s been the richest person in the world 18 of the past 23 years, according to the magazine.

Coming in at No. 2 is the “Oracle of Omaha,” Warren Buffet of Berkshire Hathaway fame, at $75.6 billion. Jeff Bezos, the founder and chief executive officer of Amazon, broke into the top three for the first time with a estimated net worth of $72.8 billion.

Walton, the daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, moved to the Fort Worth area years ago because of her love for cutting horses. But Walton has gotten out of that high-dollar business, put her ranches up for sale and moved into Fort Worth.

She now focuses on her work on the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark. But in January, the Walton Family Foundation awarded $20 million to the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. Alice Walton was on the museum's board from 2004 to 2015. The endowment honors the museum's longtime board president, Ruth Carter Stevenson, who died in 2013.

Walton’s net worth inched up slightly from the 2016 list from $32.3 billion. Dell’s net worth also jumped up from $19.8 billion. Andrew Beal, a Dallas banking and real estate investor, came in third among the richest Texans at $10.4 billion, up from $9.4 billion in 2016. He is ranked 127th overall.

Members of the Bass family, which has oil and other investments, also saw their fortunes jump in this year’s list. In January, the family announced it was selling 275,000 acres in the booming Permian Basin oil fields to Irving-based Exxon Mobil for $5.6 billion in stock and $1 billion in contingent cash payouts.

Robert Bass’ net worth jumped from $2.8 billion in 2016 to $4 billion this year. He is ranked 441st overall. Ed Bass, ranked 660th, saw his net worth climb from last year, rising from $1.8 billion in 2016 to $3 billion in 2017, according to Forbes. His younger brother, Lee, saw his investments grow from $1.8 billion in value to $2.9 billion. Lee Bass is ranked 693rd overall.

Ranked at 717th overall, Sid Bass, the oldest of the Bass brothers, saw his bottom line grow to $2.8 billion from $1.8 billion last year, the magazine reported.

Among the other North Texans on the list are:

234. Robert Rowling, $6.2 billion (investments, Omni Hotels, Dallas)

294. Trevor Rees-Jones, $5.3 billion (oil and gas, Dallas)

303. Jerry Jones, $5.2 billion (Dallas Cowboys, Dallas)

339. Ray Lee Hunt, $4.8 billion (oil, real estate, Dallas)

367. Kelcy Warren, $4.5 billion (pipelines, Dallas)

441. H. Ross Perot Sr., $4 billion (computer services, real estate, Dallas)

564. Mark Cuban, $3.4 billion (online media, Dallas Mavericks)

745. Ray Davis, $2.7 billion (pipelines, Texas Rangers, Dallas-Fort Worth)

814. David Bonderman, $2.5 billion (private equity, Fort Worth)

896. Gerald Ford, $2.3 billion (banking, Dallas)

1030. W. Herbert Hunt, $2 billion (oil, Dallas)

1290. Timothy Headington, $1.6 billion (oil and gas, investments, Dallas)

1290. H. Ross Perot Jr. $1.6 billion (real estate, Dallas-Fort Worth)

Max B. Baker: 817-390-7714, @MaxbakerBB

This story was originally published March 20, 2017 at 11:57 AM with the headline "Alice Walton top Texan on Forbes billionaire list."