America’s Wealthiest Families great fortunes are notoriously easy to lose.Not so for the nation’s richest clans, however, who have bucked the odds and held on to their wealth for generations, in some cases since the 19th century. Collectively, the 25 wealthiest American families are worth $722 billion (around Rs 48 lakh crore), down $11 billion (1.5 percent) from a year ago. These scions of some of America’s great business founders own such classic brands as Campbell’s soup, Windex, Hyatt Hotels and more. Among them are names familiar (Walton, Rockefeller) and less so (Sackler, Duncan). One newcomer is likely the least known of all: The Goldman family, whose late patriarch, Sol (1917–87), quietly purchased hundreds of properties across New York City. For more, please visit forbes.com/families.