The Richest People On The Titanic Who Died With Millions In Their Bank Accounts

The luxurious ship RMS Titanic of the White Star Lines sailed on its maiden voyage in April 1912 — leaving England and heading to New York City — with tremendous fanfare. Known as the Millionaire's Special because of the wealthy people traveling on this massive watercraft, the allegedly unsinkable Titanic sunk after hitting an iceberg on April 14-15, 1912, with about 1,500 people losing their lives — including some of the world's richest people. In fact, of the 324 people sailing first class, an estimated 123 didn't survive: 39% of them.

This includes 47-year-old John Jacob Astor IV, one of the era's wealthiest people and the first American to reach multi-millionaire status. A real estate magnate, his name lives on in a hotel he developed and owned: the Waldorf-Astoria. At the time of his death, he possessed about $80 million, comparable to $200 billion today. To add to the tragedy, he was returning to America with his 18-year-old pregnant second wife, Madeleine, after their honeymoon. Although she survived, John Jacob Astor never met his namesake son. Madeleine lived off the income of a $5 million trust and the use of Astor's Fifth Avenue mansion until she remarried and lost those privileges. Astor had intended to will his fortune to Madeleine's baby once they got back to New York. Because that didn't happen, his first son, Vincent, inherited. Vincent Astor then donated much of his fortune to create and fund the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Public Library, Bronx Zoo, and other important institutions.

Co-owner of Macy's, Isidor Straus, also died on the Titanic, leaving behind a $3.5 million estate. Although perhaps small in contrast to Astor's fabulous wealth, Straus also was a political powerhouse, having served in the House of Representatives in 1894-1895. On the Titanic, when Straus refused to get on a lifeboat, his wife Ida did, too. Before putting her maid, Ellen Bird, on the lifeboat, Ida gifted her with a fur coat. Ida left behind a $300,000 estate of her own, making their combined assets reach nearly $4 million (about $90 million today).

Railroad magnate Charles Melville Hays also sailed on the Titanic. The Grand Trunk Railroad, where Hays served as president, had gone deeply in debt — to the tune of $100 million ($2.8 billion today). He'd been in England with his family, trying to find financing solutions for his railroad's problems. To get back to the United States, the Hays family sailed on the Titanic by personal invitation of the White Star Line's chairman, J. Bruce Ismay. When the Titanic hit the iceberg, Hays helped his wife into a lifeboat along with their daughter and maid. He, along with his son-in-law and male secretary did not survive the sinking. Despite the railroad's debt, Hays died with an estate of $565,000, about $15.8 million today.

As an overview of just three of the wealthy people who died on the Titanic shows, millionaires have a range of life stories, just like people of more average incomes and assets do. That said, the world's wealthiest people tend to have habits and traits in common. Where someone lives can also play a role. In descending order, the most millionaires in the United States live in these cities: New York, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay area, Chicago, and Houston. Millionaires can manage their financial habits in similar ways, too. After interviewing more than 100 millionaires, journalist Jaime Catmull shared her findings with CNBC Make It, including how millionaires don't allow themselves to become haunted by past failures. Instead, they learn from their mistakes. 

Some American millionaires can become the country's biggest donors, too, just like Vincent Astor did after losing his father to the Titanic's sinking. According to Forbes' list for 2025, the top three philanthropists were Warren Buffet and family, Bill and Melinda French Gates, and George Soros. Combined, they've donated nearly $133 billion.