Billionaires are easy to come by these days, with Forbes Magazine's 2013 tally at an all-time high — 1,426 members worldwide.
The United States leads Forbes' just-released annual list with 442 billionaires, and 15 of those live in Houston. Sixty-five-year-old oil heir Daniel Harrison III is the newest to join the club, sliding in at No. 1268 with a $1.1 billion net worth — largely from the lease of his ranch to Shell Oil, which has yielded further returns from the prolific Eagle Ford shale.
Fertitta made the list for the first time last year.
Among the other usual oil and gas suspects are Rich Kinder, the "pipeline prince," at No. 112, with $9.8 billion in net worth; Jeffrey Hildebrand at No. 219, with $5.5 billion; Dan Duncan's heirs — Dannine Avara, Scott Duncan, Milane Frantz and Randa Williams — tying for No. 239, with $5.1 billion each; and George Mitchell at No. 736, with $2 billion.
Retired hedge fund magnate John Arnold took No. 503 (with a net worth of $2.8 billion), while Houston Texans owner Bob McNair came in at No. 831 ($1.8 billion) and Tilman "The World's Richest Restaurateur" Fertitta tied with Toyota distributor Thomas Friedkin at No. 882, with $1.7 billion each. Fertitta made the list for the first time last year.
Trial lawyer Joe Jamail Jr. took 974th spot (counting $1.5 billion in net worth), followed by money manager Fayez Sarofim at No. 1031 (with $1.4 billion) and oilman and former Houston Oilers/current Titans owner Bud Adams at No. 1175 (with $1.2 billion).
Randa Duncan Williams and Charles Williams at Margaret Alkek Williams' birthday last year
