As one of the most talked-about figures, J.R. Simplot has built a significant fortune. Our team analyzed the latest data to provide a clear picture of their income.

What was J. R. Simplot's Net Worth?

J.R. Simplot was an American potato farmer and billionaire who had a net worth of $3.7 billion at the time of his death. He founded the J. R. Simplot Company, an agricultural supplier based in Boise, Idaho. Specializing in potato products, the company made billions of dollars from the commercialization of frozen French fries, and in the 1970s became the primary supplier of French fries to McDonald's. Although Simplot retired as president of his company in 1973, he remained involved for decades afterward.

Although Simplot retired as president of his company in 1973, he remained involved in its activities for decades afterward. In 1994, he stepped down as chairman of the board, and then held the title of chairman emeritus until his passing in 2008. The J. R. Simplot Company expanded significantly in the 1990s by moving into Australia and acquiring such food brands as Birds Eye and Chiko. Meanwhile, the company contributed to a number of charitable organizations, including Ronald McDonald House, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Future Farmers of America, and the World Wide Fund for Nature. The J. R. Simplot Company has also donated thousands of pounds of potatoes to the Idaho Foodbank and the Boise Rescue Mission, and has made numerous donations to arts organizations throughout Idaho. In 2009, the company was awarded the Spirit of Treasure Valley by the United Way of Treasure Valley.

According to legend, Simplot quit eighth grade after getting into a heated argument with his father and took a job sorting potatoes and raising hogs until he had enough money to purchase his own potato field. By the early 1980s he was worth $500 million thanks largely to a nearly-exclusive contract to supply potatoes to McDonald's. Over time, that deal made Simplot became one of therichest people in the worldand one10 richest people in America. Within a few years he was a billionaire, and at the time of his death his $3.7 billion net worth made him therichest person in Idaho. At the time of his death at the age of 99, J.R. Simplot was named the oldest billionaire in the United States.

While doing farm work near Declo, Idaho in 1929, Simplot founded the agribusiness company the J. R. Simplot Company. The company expanded considerably in the 1940s when it provided dehydrated potatoes and onions to the military during World War II. During this time, it also became the largest shipper of fresh potatoes in the United States. The J. R. Simplot Company was eventually incorporated in 1955. It reached the height of its success in the early 1970s when it made billions of dollars from the commercialization of frozen French fries by being the main supplier of the food item to McDonald's. The frozen fry deal with McDonald's led to the expansion of Simplot's potato processing plants. By 2005, the J. R. Simplot Company supplied more than half of all French fries to McDonald's. Beyond food items, the company produces fertilizers for agriculture, which has caused environmental concerns.

Portrait of J R Simplot (via Alamy)

Among his many other business ventures, Simplot financed the Brundage Mountain alpine ski area near McCall, Idaho in 1961. Previously, he had helped the Bogus Basin ski area recover from financial difficulties in the 1950s. Later on, in the early 1980s, Simplot provided startup capital to the nascent Micron Technology, a Boise-based company that manufactures computer memory and computer data storage. By 1994, Simplot owned 20% of the company. Elsewhere, he was a heavy investor in Remington Oil.

John Richard Simplot was born on January 4, 1909 in Dubuque, Iowa as the third of six children of Dorothy and Charles. The next year, the family moved a thousand miles west to the newly irrigated Magic Valley in Idaho. Simplot went to school until the age of 14, when he dropped out and went to work on a farm near Declo.

Ultimately, J.R. Simplot's financial journey is a testament to their success.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.