JOHN W. KLUGE
Charlottesville, New York, Palm Beach. 87. Even one of the richest men in Virginia and the U.S. can't avoid fallout from the recent telecommunications downturn. Billionaire Kluge, who made his money in entertainment and communications deals, resigned in March as chairman of troubled Metromedia International Group, which was pushing telecom in Eastern Europe, Russia and China. Kluge lost about $47 million in stock as shares plummeted from about $3.25 last year to about $0.50 now. Suffered other losses, too, in fiber networks. Now, Kluge is turning attention to medical research in cancer, diabetes and sepsis. Has been gathering investors with $900 million of his own money supporting such research. Holdings in restaurants and other entities doing well. It helps to be so rich that a few rainy days can't depress your net worth all that much.
Net worth: $10.4 billion
Confidence: B

FRANK BATTEN SR.
Virginia Beach. 75. Works from the sidelines now that he has turned over Norfolk-based and privately held Landmark Communications to son, Frank Jr. Still involved in the Landmark Foundation. Landmark owns The Virginian-Pilot, The Roanoke Times and other newspaper properties as well as two TV stations and The Weather Channel, which celebrated its 20th anniversary recently and continues to be a hot property. Batten has authored a book, printed by the Harvard Business School, about creating the Weather Channel.
Net worth: $2.35 billion
Confidence: C

SINGHS
Mount Vernon. Raj Singh, 47, grew up in Kairoo, an Indian town without telephones. Yet cellular phones made Singh and his engineer wife, Neera, 43, among the richest people in Virginia. Singh, an electrical engineer who trained at American universities, found his fortune by developing ways to measure interference from cell phone towers. He parlayed that key discovery into holdings in LCC International and Aether Systems, a wireless and mobile data systems company. He also is a co-founder of Telecom Ventures, which funnels money to promising technologies. The tech slump has cut the net worth of the Singhs. They're still billionaires, however, and Singh still sometimes water-skis up the Potomac River from his home to office.
Net worth: $1.1 billion
Confidence: B

CURRIER FAMILY
The Plains. Sisters Andrea Bruce Currier, 46, and Lavinia M. Currier, 45, come from a long line of philanthropists and patrons of the arts. Family helped build the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Lavinia released her first movie, "Heart of the Garden," a 52-minute film which she wrote and directed in the 1980s. Released "Passion in the Desert," a feature film based on a short story by Honore de Balzac in 1998. Wrote screenplay and invested $5 million of her own money. Founded the Sacharuna Foundation in the 1980s, a fund that helps preserve natural resources, and, along with her husband, Joel McCleary, is a financial backer of the Dalai Lama. Both sisters serve on board of nonprofit Friends of Bull Run.
Andrea B. Currier: $520 million
Lavinia M. Currier: $520 million
Confidence: C

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STEPHEN M. CASE
McLean, 44. Just a few months ago, his 2001 merger of America Online with Time Warner was praised as one of the most brilliant match ups in U.S. corporate history. Today, just about everything has gone wrong, from a collapsed high-tech market to slumped Internet ad sales to dashed hopes for the "synergy" of New and Old Media. Stock, once $95 a share, is now sputtering in the teens. Case likewise has been dealing with personal strife, including family illness. Now taking a stronger role to instill the original AOL magic after the Time Warner merger. Still, the former low-level marketing assistant for Pepsi and Procter & Gamble is still a success symbol in U.S. business.
Net worth: $1 billion
Confidence: B

SMITH/KOGOD FAMILY
Crystal City and Washington. Charles E. Smith incurred major losses during Depression, left New York in 1942, founded the Charles E. Smith Cos. in 1946. Died in 1995 at age 95. Son, Robert H. Smith, now 73, joined company in 1950, and son-in-law Robert P. Kogod, 70, in 1959. Built company into the state's largest real estate development company. Took residential portfolio public in 1994 as Charles E. Smith Residential Realty Inc. and merged with Archstone Communities Trust in October, 2001 to form Archstone-Smith Trust with a market value of about $9.6 billion. Consolidated office buildings during 1997 and 1998 into Charles E. Smith Commercial Realty L.P., and merged with Vornado Realty Trust in December 2001, which raised it to the fourth largest publicly traded real estate investment trust. Market value approximately $11 billion.
Net worth: $1 billion
Confidence: A

RICHARD ADAMS
Falls Church. 45. Founder of Herndon-based UUNet Technologies Inc. - now part of troubled MCI Worldcom. After selling UUnet for $2 billion, Adams focused on Cello Technologies, a private company that designed high-end home entertainment and electronic systems, but a related firm went bankrupt in 2000. Real estate deals in Northern Virginia have fared much better.
Net worth: $750 million
Confidence: C

FRANK BATTEN JR.
Norfolk. 43. The chairman of Landmark Communications Inc. made headlines two years ago with his savvy investment into Red Hat, a Linux-based software writer in North Carolina's Research Triangle. He wangled $2 billion on paper from the deal. Red Hat crashed along with high tech, with shares that once went for $140 selling from $7. Batten now has about 21.6 million shares worth about $151 million. Meanwhile, he has invested in other tech startups such as Great Bridge, which promotes open source operating systems. Otherwise, Batten has plenty to do. His firm owns The Weather Channel and newspapers The Virginian-Pilot and Roanoke Times. Just appointed to the Board of Visitors of Old Dominion University.
Net worth: $660 million
Confidence: B

GOTTWALD FAMILY
Richmond. As fuel additive maker Ethyl Corp. continues to falter, hopes rest with spin-offs Albemarle Corp., which makes chemical additives, and Tredegar Corp., maker of plastic films. Ethyl Chairman Bruce C. Gottwald, 68, retired as CEO last June. Thomas "Teddy" Gottwald, Bruce's 41-year-old son, is now president and CEO. Albemarle Corp., is run by Bruce's brother Floyd D. Gottwald Jr., 79. Floyd's son, John D. Gottwald, 47, is chairman of Tredegar.
Net worth: $600 million
Confidence: B

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CARL W. SMITH
Charlottesville. 74. Smith's gas and coal operations grind out steadily higher profits regardless of economic downturns. Having built his Fola, W.Va., properties into the second largest surface mining operation in the Appalachian coalfields, he's opened another coal mine, Powellton Coal Co., nearby. Smith also is working some 400,000 acres of Oklahoma oilfields that are producing gas. Still evaluating a large gas structure in Nova Scotia. With more than $90 million in cash and earnings exceeding $20 million a year, he'll have no problem funding the next round of capital investment. A former University of Virginia football player, Smith has helped fund the construction of U.Va's football stadium and recently donated $3 million for a new field at the University of Virginia's College at Wise in his hometown.
Net worth: $585 million
Confidence: A

ROGER W. SANT
Middleburg. 70. Chairman and a director of AES Corp. Sant has seen his net worth tumble from $2 billion to $550 million. AES's share price dropped to new lows following a tough year for the Arlington-based global giant. To blame are unstable Latin American markets, low wholesale electricity prices in the U. S. and Great Britain and fallout from Enron's implosion. AES's stock has dropped by 70 percent since December 2000. Sant now labors seven days a week at the office trying to prop firm up. AES is selling off assets to reduce its exposure in Latin America, but so far layoffs have been modest: only 300 of 12,000 workers. Says Sant: "This is the toughest time I've had professionally. When you know people who own your stock and you know it's hurt them financially, you feel awful about that."
Net worth: $550 million
Confidence: A

OHRSTROM FAMILY
Middleburg and The Plains. Magalen Ohrstrom Bryant, 73, and brother George Ohrstrom, 72, oversee their inheritances from their father, the founder of Johnson & Johnson. The reclusive Ohrstrom family owns shares in Dover Corp. and Carlisle Cos. in New York along with plastics maker O'Sullivan Corp., based in Winchester. Ms. Bryant is an active environmentalist and is president of the board of the Environmental Resources Trust, a Washington, D.C.-based group that tries to preserve the global environment.
Magalen O. Bryant: $400 million
George L. Ohrstrom: $140 million
Confidence: C

WES FOSTER
McLean. 67. Real estate company he co-founded dominates mid-Atlantic home sales and keeps generating record revenues. Sales territory stretches from Hampton Roads to Richmond, the Eastern Shore and Washington, D.C., and suburbs, its hottest area. Has added suburban Philadelphia to empire. Sales last year were up 19 percent to $25.2 billion and sales this March alone were $2.6 billion.
Net worth: $500 million
Confidence: C

RICHARD D. FAIRBANK
McLean, 51, credit card guru, is founder, chairman and CEO of Capital One Financial Corp., a major issuer of VISA and MasterCard credit cards. Capital One is one of the fastest-growing firms in Virginia and is gaining U.S. market share for credit cards. It has been hailed by Fortune magazine as one of the best companies to work for although local press accounts note Web site for disgruntled ex-employees. Fairbank is board chairman of MasterCard International's U.S. Region Board of Directors. His firm encourages employees to participate in charity work such as mentoring, book drives, supplying food banks.
Net worth: $464 million
Confidence: A

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ROBINS FAMILY
Richmond. Family founded A. H. Robins pharmaceutical company and is well known for philanthropy. The late E. Claiborne Robins gave University of Richmond more than $170 million. Daughter Ann Carol Robins Marchant's resignation from U.R's board of trustees, after serving for more than 30 years, raised eyebrows. Brother, E. Claiborne Robins Jr., 57, continues as a UR trustee. Family matriarch, Lora Robins, 89, continues her support of The Virginia Museum. In addition to $7 million already donated for a sculpture garden, she gave the museum about 300 pieces of English and American silver. In recognition of her longtime support of state cultural institutions, she received a 2001 Architecture Medal for Virginia Service from the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects.
Net worth: $ 450 million
Confidence: C

ALICE DUPONT MILLS
Middleburg, 89. A pioneer among aviatrixes, Mills was one of the first licensed American transport pilots. Inherited fortune from her father, A. Felix DuPont, a major owner of chemical giant E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co.
Net worth: $450 million
Confidence: C

THEODORE J. LEONSIS
Great Falls. 46. With America Online since 1994, Leonsis is now vice chairman of Online and president of Advanced Services Group after AOL's merger with Time Warner. Merger woes have depressed AOL stock, but Leonsis managed to sell large chunks when it was still in the $70s. Invested his money in sports franchises Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards. AOL wealth helped Leonsis recruit sports stars Jaormir Jagr and Michael Jordan to the D.C. area.
Net worth: $400 million
Confidence: B

CARL D. SILVER
Fredericksburg. 76. A millionaire by 35, Silver moved his used-car business in 1947 to Fredericksburg, where he switched to real estate in mid-1960s. With son, Larry, developed Central Park commercial complex and Central Park Funland, a 127,120-square-foot family entertainment center. The complex encompasses more than 2 million square feet of retail, entertainment and restaurant space.
Net worth: $400 million
Confidence: C

ROBEY ESTES FAMILY
Richmond. Robey Estes, 81, chairs Estes Express Lines, a trucking company founded by his father in 1931. His 49-year-old son, Robey Estes Jr., runs operations.
Net worth: $400 million
Confidence: C

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KIRBY FAMILY
Claremont. The Kirby family fortune was founded 125 years ago by the grandfather of the late Ann Kirby Kirby, Fred Morgan Kirby. He merged his 96 variety stores with F. W. Woolworth. Mrs. Kirby's husband, James Lewis Kirby, still lives at their Surry County plantation. The estate of Ann Kirby Kirby owns about 10 percent of the stock of New York City based Alleghany Corp, a title insurance company.
Net worth: $350 million
Confidence: B

ATHALIE "JOAN" IRVINE SMITH
Middleburg and Corona Del Mar, Calif. 69. Heiress to the Irvine Co. real estate fortune. Joan Irvine Smith Fine Arts Inc. of Laguna Beach, Calif., sponsors the California Art Club Outdoor Painting Festival each year.
Net worth: $350 million
Confidence: B

BETTY SCRIPPS HARVEY
Charlottesville and Palm Beach. Late husband, Edward W. Scripps, was scion of Scripps-Howard newspaper chain. Sold Scripps League Newspapers in 1996. Now remarried, Harvey is the founder and chairman of Charlottesville-based Scripps Enterprises, Inc., a conglomerate with holdings in real estate, gas, oil and other interests. The Scripps Foundation, started by Harvey and her late husband, has given generously to causes in the Charlottesville area, most recently $1.6 million to the Scripps Library and Multimedia facility at the University of Virginia.
Net worth: $300 million
Confidence: B

C. DANIEL CLEMENTE
Vienna. 65. Lawyer ventured into real estate by developing Brighton Mall in Falls Church. Considers himself a conservative buyer. Besides managing or owning hundreds of millions of dollars worth of real estate, Clemente founded several banks, including Community Bank and Trust in Springfield and First Commercial Bank of Arlington. Assists candidates of both political parties.
Net worth: $300 million
Confidence: C

FIRESTONES
Upperville. Horses are the passion of these Northern Virginia heirs. Diana Johnson Firestone, 70, got her money from the estate of John Seward Johnson of Johnson & Johnson fame. She and her husband Bertram R. Firestone, 70, continue to stay active in the race horse industry by raising thoroughbreds.
Net worth: $300 million
Confidence: B

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E. MORGAN MASSEY
Richmond. 75. Mining magnate Morgan Massey has been called an enemy of the environment and the working man. Now that he's the CEO of Asian American Coal, Inc., the only foreign company licensed to mine coal in the People's Republic of China, the Richmond-based capitalist finds himself on the side of the angels. His firm has rights to mine one of the richest deposits of low-sulfur coal in the world. "This is a better mining deal than anything I've seen in 50 years in the coal business," he says. By installing modern machinery to workers still using picks and shovels and introducing best management practices, Massey says he can boost productivity many times over. He'll also double wages, improve poor safety conditions, supply less-polluting coal to notoriously dirty Chinese industries. Massey finds doing business with pro-business Communists refreshing. "It's not like the U.S., where everyone is against you," he says.
Net worth: $260 million*
Confidence: A

JOSEPH E. ROBERT JR.
McLean. 51. Founder, Chairman and CEO of J.E. Robert Cos., a global real estate investment firm. Founded the Real Estate Capital Recovery Association. Son of a suburban Washington, D.C., car salesman, Robert was shaped by Catholic military school discipline and embarked on building his real estate investment empire in 1981. Active in work for youth charity group Fight for Children and serves on the boards of several universities.
Net worth: $260 million
Confidence: C

DENNIS W. BAKKE
Arlington, 56. President and CEO of AES Corp. in Arlington. Net worth took a beating this year dropping from $1.7 billion to $259 million. The hit came after the global power company 's share price sank to a new low of $3.40 a share, down from a high of $60.15 just more than a year ago. Rocked by Latin American markets where it has invested heavily, AES has shifted strategy from building capacity through acquisitions to selling off assets to improve its liquidity. After post-Enron criticism of accounting methods, it's making more information available to shareholders. The good news: first quarter revenues were up-rising to $2.7 billion compared with $2.5 billion in 2001.
Net worth: $ 259 million*
Confidence: B

RACHEL BUNNY MELLON
Upperville. Widow of philanthropist Paul Mellon. So well connected that she was the first person listed on the will of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis after the former First Lady died. Continues her late husband's legacy of philanthropy after receiving $110 million in cash upon his death in 1999. Mrs. Mellon continues to contribute cash and art works to various Virginia localities and institutions, notably the University of Virginia.
Net worth: $250 million
Confidence: C

NIGEL W. MORRIS
Alexandria. 43. Co-founder, president, COO and director of Capital One Financial Corp. As an incentive for maintaining the company's high performance, Morris and Capital One's chairman/CEO, Richard Fairbank, relinquish their salaries and bonuses, opting for stock options instead. An army brat whose father was a sergeant major in the British army, Morris traveled quite a bit as a tyke. Very active with credit card marketing, this graduate of London University went on to The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and then to success in the financial sector. Morris also serves as a director of Covance Inc.
Net worth: $250 million
Confidence: A

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WINKLER FAMILY
Alexandria. Mark Winkler died in 1970, leaving most of his fortune to his wife, Catherine, and three daughters. His real estate company, the Mark Winkler Co., is still going strong, managing roughly 11 million square feet of commercial space in the Washington, D.C., area, valued at more than $1 billion. Daughter Tory Winkler Thomas is chairman of the board.
Net worth: $250 million
Confidence: C

SAUER FAMILY
Richmond. Founded in 1887, C.F. Sauer Co. makes spices and extracts. Family owns more than 95 percent of company and runs it. Expanded into other markets including hardware. Acquired Pleasants Hardware in 1988. Other subsidiaries include Dean Foods, Metrolina Plastics Inc. - both in Richmond, and the Duke's brand of mayonnaise and salad products in Greenville, S.C. Subsidiary Sauer Properties Inc. purchased 420 acres near Virginia Center Commons mall for $4.5 million in February - the company's largest undeveloped land purchase ever. Plans to use the land for an office park with some retail components.
Net worth: $230 million
Confidence: C

W. RUSSELL RAMSEY
Great Falls. 42. This co-founder of Friedman, Billings, Ramsey Group, an Arlington investment firm, retired last year and now is general partner of Capital Crossover Partners, a hedge fund. Both FBR and the hedge fund are diversified enough that they've been able to avoid big losses in high technology. FBR, for instance, has only 20 percent of its funds invested in high tech, with other sectors, such as financial services, covering any big losses.
Net worth: $225 million
Confidence: A

GENE B. DIXON JR.
Dillwyn. 59. World's largest kyanite mine in rural Buckingham owned by Dixon and his family. Also owns The Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach, a major stake in Bank of Charlotte and an industrial site in Amherst County.
Net worth: $205 million
Confidence: C

WILLIAM H. GOODWIN JR.
Richmond. 61. Part-owner of the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond and Kiawah Island in South Carolina. Graduate of Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business Administration. Active in charities, such as the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, the Darden School at the University of Virginia and the School of Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University. Especially active in funding cancer research.
Net worth: $200 million
Confidence: B

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IVOR MASSEY (FAMILY)
Richmond. After practicing law in Florida from 1979 to 1997, Massey returned to Richmond to oversee family fortune left by his father. Has been a principal in venture capital firm Monument Capital and has been active in putting funds in new technology, from e-learning to acoustic technology for pumps and compressors. An avid motorcyclist, Massey was a director of Harley-Davidson Inc.
Net worth: $200 million*
Confidence: B

MARK R. WARNER
Richmond, 47. One of the wealthiest governors in the nation, Warner made his fortune in the cellular telephone business. Warner was his Democratic campaign's biggest contributor, donating $351,391 during last year's election. Portfolio includes 210 domestic and foreign stocks-including AOL Time Warner, Anheuser Busch, and IBM - and 17 mutual funds. He holds few Virginia stocks but has invested in state and municipal bonds. Warner also owns real estate, including rental property in Alexandria, apartments in Woodbridge and two real estate investment trusts. Resigned late last year as a director of Friedman, Billings, Ramsey Group Inc. an Arlington-based investment firm. Before his inauguration in January, moved most of his assets into a blind trust. Voters hope that his business skills will get Virginia out of a budget rut.
Net worth: $200 million*
Confidence: B

UKROP FAMILY
Richmond. Brothers James E. Ukrop, 65, and Robert S. Ukrop, 55, inducted into Greater Richmond Business Hall of Fame in 1999. Five years ago, Ukrop's Super Markets Inc. introduced its latest amenity - First Market Federal Savings Bank, a full service thrift inside Ukrop's stores. First Market reached $100 million in assets in its first six months.
Net worth: $200 million
Confidence: C

ARTHUR W. ARUNDEL
The Plains. 74. Nick Arundel is chairman of Fairfax-based ArCom Publishing Co, a private, family-owned company he founded in 1960. It publishes 18 weekly newspapers in Northern Virginia with a combined circulation of more than 260,000. The company launched a new paper last year, the Prince William Times. Arundel's son, Peter Arundel, now leads the company giving his father more time to pursue his community interests, including the nonprofit Great Meadow Field Events Center, home of the Virginia Cup Gold Races and other horse and field events.
Net worth: $190 million
Confidence: C

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