Lots of talk this week about Mitt Romney and the incredible bulge in his back pocket. Estimates of his fortune go as high as $250 million, but Mitt seems quite reluctant to share how much he has.

So that brings up a question – comparatively in current US$s how do our presidents stack up? Well, fortunately someone took on the task of figuring out what our past presidents had, so all I have to do is make up some questions from that. See if you can figure out which president is described in the questions below.

1) Born to a prominent and wealthy family, this president inherited a large trust fund. He lost a great deal of the trust fund in a ranching venture in the Dakotas. He worked most of his adult life in public service and as an author. His top estimated wealth was $60 million.

2) This man was an orphan and was raised by his uncle. He made his fortune in mining and holdings in mining companies. His wealth was estimated at $75 million.

3) A war hero, this man was one of the wealthiest presidents. He had extensive land holdings and also married a wealthy widow. His estimated worth was $525 million.

4) Also a war hero, this man was not so fortunate. Following his presidency he had to write his autobiography just to make money to live on. Estimated worth well below a million dollars.

5) This president made several attempts to be a small business man. Success eluded him in those endeavors, but he did succeed in political life serving as a senator, vice-president and eventually president. When his term ended he and his wife drove themselves back to their modest home. His estimated worth was less than a million dollars.

6) We had many war heroes as president. This war hero had an estate worth over $5 million at one time, but by the time he died most of it was gone. His estate consisted mostly of inheritance and land holdings in Indiana.

7) This president had large holdings in a tobacco plantation and other land. At one time he was estimated to have as much as a $51 million estate. But due to involvement with the South in the Civil War he was poor at death.

8) This man made most of his money as an author. Besides that he has worked in public service most of his life. His estimated worth was pegged at $5 million.

9) This man made most of his money as a college president and then as a governor. His estimated worth was below the million dollar mark.

10) This president had a successful career as an actor and spokesman for many corporations. His estimated worth is in the $13 million range.

Interesting, no? Most of our presidents have had some money, Some lost it, some made more. If Romney becomes president (I can’t imagine it either) he will not be the richest, but a contender. Unless he has more stashed away than we know.

Answers? OK!

1) Teddy Roosevelt
2) our own Herbert Hoover
3) George Washington – probably the richest – the Kennedys in toto had more money.
4) Ulysses Grant.
5) Harry S. Truman
6) William Henry Harrison
7) John Tyler. Remember that he served in the Confederate government in the civil war.
8) Barack Obama
9) Woodrow Wilson
10) Ronald Reagan – and I hope it was obvious.

Read up on all the presidents and their fortunes here.