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''Old money'' is "the inherited wealth of established upper-class families (i.e. gentry, patriciate)" or "a person, family, or lineage possessing inherited wealth".〔"Old Money" The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 5 Nov. 2008. Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/oldmoney〕 The term typically describes a class of the rich who have been able to maintain their wealth over multiple generations, often referring to perceived members of the ''de facto'' aristocracy in societies which for historical reasons lack an officially established aristocratic class (typically, the United States of America). == United States == American locations that are associated with old money include the Upper East Side of Manhattan; Westchester County, New York; Long Island's North Shore; Fairfield County, Connecticut; Newport, Rhode Island; Boston's Back Bay and Beacon Hill; Weston and Wellesley, Massachusetts; Philadelphia's Main Line; Chicago's North Shore suburbs; and the Grosse Pointe area of suburban Detroit, Michigan. Ironically, these areas' inhabitants that are colloquially described as "old money" are almost always descendants of the people the term "nouveau riche" (new money) was originally coined to describe: nineteenth century industrialists, bankers, and builders. Traditionally, wealth was associated with landowning and these Gilded Age fortunes made money in a new way, hence the term new money. Edith Wharton, among Gilded Age America's greatest chroniclers, referred to industrialists and their ilk as "brazen new money". ''Wealth''—assets held by an individual or by a household—provides an important dimension of social stratification because it can pass from generation to generation, ensuring that a family's offspring will remain financially stable. Families with "old money" use accumulated assets or savings to bridge interruptions in income, thus guarding against downward social mobility. "Old money" applies to those of the upper class whose wealth separates them from lower social classes. According to anthropologist W. Lloyd Warner, the upper class in the United States during the 1930s was divided into the upper-upper and the lower-upper classes. The lower-upper were those that did not come from traditionally wealthy families. They earned their money from investments and business rather than inheritance. In contrast to the ''nouveau riche'', the upper-upper class was families viewed as "quasi-aristocratic" and "high-society".〔 These had been rich for generations. They lived off idle inheritances rather than earned wealth. During the early 20th century, the upper-upper class were seen as more prestigious.〔 "Old money" contrasts with the ''nouveau riche'' and ''parvenus''. These fall under the category "new money" (those not from traditionally wealthy families). Some families with "old money" include: * The Roosevelt family of Manhattan arrived from the Netherlands as colonists and later became prominent in politics, producing presidents Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt. * The Cabots arrived in Salem from the Isle of Jersey in 1700 and made fortunes in shipping. At the age of 21, Godfrey Lowell Cabot (see Lowells below) founded the Cabot Corporation, the largest producer of carbon black in the country. * The Lowell family are descended from Boston colonists. Francis Cabot Lowell began the fortune in shipping and later textiles. The family has produced several noteworthy individuals, including Abbott Lawrence Lowell, who presided over Harvard for 24 years. *The Du Pont family fortune began in 1803, but they became an extraordinarily wealthy family by selling gunpowder during the American Civil War. By World War I, the DuPont family produced virtually all American gunpowder. In 1968, Ferdinand Lundberg declared the Du Pont fortune to be America's largest family fortune. E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company ranked 81st on the Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations. *The Forbes family of Boston made their fortune in the shipping and later railroad industries as well as other investments. They have been a prominent wealthy family in the United States for 200 years. *The Astor family made their fortune in the 18th century, through real estate, the hotel industry and other investments. *The Griswold Family of Connecticut made their fortune in shipping, banking, railroads, and industry. They have been prominent in American politics, producing five governors and numerous senators and congressmen. Although many "old money" individuals do not rank as high on the list of Forbes 400 richest Americans as they once did, their wealth continues to grow. Many families increased their holdings by investment strategies such as the pooling of resources. For example, the Rockefeller family's estimated net worth of $1 billion in the 1930s grew to $8.5 billion by 2000. In 60 years, four of the richest families in the United States increased their combined $2–4 billion in 1937 to $38 billion without holding large shares in emerging industries.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Old money」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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