Billy Graham Net Worth

What Was Billy Graham's Net Worth?

Billy Graham was an American evangelical Christian pastor who had a net worth of $25 million at the time of his death in 2018.

Billy Graham was one of the most influential Christian evangelists of the 20th century, preaching to hundreds of millions of people worldwide and serving as a spiritual adviser to U.S. presidents across multiple generations. Born William Franklin Graham Jr. in 1918 in North Carolina, he rose from humble beginnings to become the nation's best-known evangelical pastor. Over more than six decades, he filled stadiums with massive revival meetings he called "crusades," delivering a simple but urgent message: repent of sin, accept Jesus Christ, and be "born again."

Graham was a pioneer in religious use of mass media. Beginning with radio in the 1940s and expanding to television, satellite broadcasts, and eventually the internet, he leveraged emerging technologies to extend his reach far beyond the pulpit. His 1949 Los Angeles crusade, boosted by major newspaper coverage, launched him into national prominence. In the decades that followed, he preached across the United States and around the world, addressing an estimated 215 million people in person in more than 185 countries, with hundreds of millions more reached through broadcasts.

Though a Southern Baptist, Graham positioned himself as an interdenominational evangelist rather than a sectarian leader. He became known as a "pastor to presidents," offering counsel and prayer to leaders from Harry Truman to Barack Obama, and officiating at national moments of mourning such as after the Sept. 11 attacks.

While he faced criticism for political associations and controversial remarks, Graham maintained a reputation for personal integrity and financial transparency. He died in 2018 at age 99, leaving behind a global evangelical organization and a legacy as one of the most prominent religious figures of modern times.

Early Life

Billy Graham was born William Franklin Graham on November 7, 1918, on a dairy farm near Charlotte, North Carolina. He was the oldest of four children in a devout Presbyterian household. As a teenager, he was more interested in baseball and history than religion. A pivotal moment came in 1934 when he attended revival meetings led by evangelist Mordecai Ham. At age 16, Graham committed his life to Christ, a decision he later described as the defining turning point of his life.

After graduating from Sharon High School, he briefly attended Bob Jones College but left after one semester, finding its environment too rigid. He transferred to the Florida Bible Institute, where he began preaching and felt called to ministry. In 1943, he graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois with a degree in anthropology. While at Wheaton, he met Ruth Bell, the daughter of missionary surgeon L. Nelson Bell. The two married in 1943.

Rise to National Prominence

Graham began his ministry as a pastor in Illinois and soon became involved in radio broadcasting with the program "Songs in the Night." In 1948, at just 29, he became president of Northwestern Bible College in Minneapolis.

His breakthrough came in 1949 with a Los Angeles revival that was scheduled for three weeks but extended to eight after drawing enormous crowds and national media attention. Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst reportedly instructed his editors to "puff Graham," giving the young evangelist widespread publicity. The success of the Los Angeles crusade established Graham as a national religious figure.

In 1950, he founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), which would become the organizational backbone of his global ministry.

Crusades and Global Expansion

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Graham's "crusades" filled stadiums and arenas around the world. A 16-week series at Madison Square Garden in 1957 drew more than two million attendees. He later preached in London, Berlin, Seoul, and dozens of other major cities. His largest North American event took place in 1991 on the Great Lawn of Central Park, where an estimated 250,000 people gathered.

Graham embraced technology early, using television, film, and satellite broadcasts to amplify his reach. By the 1990s, his sermons were being translated into dozens of languages and transmitted globally. The BGEA estimated that more than 2.2 billion people encountered his message through live events and media.

He also traveled behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War and preached in countries where religious expression was restricted, including China and North Korea. During apartheid, he refused to hold segregated meetings in South Africa.

(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Civil Rights and Public Life

Though initially cautious about political involvement, Graham gradually took stands on racial integration. He insisted on integrated seating at his crusades and removed physical barriers separating audiences in the South. He developed a friendship with Martin Luther King Jr., invited King to pray at the 1957 New York crusade, and supported aspects of the Civil Rights movement, even as they differed over issues like the Vietnam War.

Graham cultivated relationships with nearly every U.S. president from Harry Truman through Barack Obama. He prayed at inaugurations, counseled leaders privately, and presided over national services of mourning. His closeness to President Richard Nixon later drew criticism, especially after the Watergate scandal and the release of taped conversations in which Graham made controversial remarks. He later apologized publicly.

Despite political entanglements, he increasingly emphasized that his mission was spiritual rather than partisan, distancing himself from overt political activism in his later years.

Books and Organization

Graham authored more than 30 books, beginning with "Peace With God" in 1953 and concluding with "Nearing Home" in 2011. The BGEA produced the long-running radio program "Hour of Decision," television specials, films, and Decision magazine. The organization also trained evangelists and deployed chaplains to disaster areas worldwide.

Financial transparency was a hallmark of his ministry. He drew a modest salary relative to the scale of the organization and insisted that the association's books remain open to review, helping him avoid the scandals that plagued other televangelists.

Personal Life

Billy and Ruth Graham were married for nearly 64 years until her death in 2007. They had five children, including Franklin Graham, who succeeded his father as head of the BGEA. The couple eventually had 19 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.

Graham adhered to a strict personal code of conduct, refusing to be alone with any woman other than his wife, a practice that became widely known as the "Billy Graham Rule."

Illness and Death

In his later years, Graham experienced declining health, including vision and hearing loss, hydrocephalus, and symptoms of Parkinson's disease. He gradually withdrew from public appearances after the mid-2000s. His final message, "My Hope America," was released in 2013 as a prerecorded evangelistic appeal.

Billy Graham died of natural causes on February 21, 2018, at his home in Montreat, North Carolina, at age 99. He became only the fourth private citizen in U.S. history to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. He was buried beside his wife at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, in a simple pine plywood casket topped with a wooden cross, reflecting the humility he often preached.

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