American History

15 Wealthy & Wicked Slave Owners You Never Learned About

Trista - July 11, 2025

The story of slavery is often told with broad strokes, focusing on well-known plantation owners or infamous figures. Yet, the true scope of its cruelty—and the immense wealth it generated—is far greater than most realize. Behind the sanitized pages of history lie the lives of lesser-known slave owners, whose fortunes were built on exploitation and violence. These individuals wielded enormous economic and social power, shaping nations while escaping public scrutiny. This article uncovers 15 of these wealthy and wicked figures, revealing how their actions left scars that continue to haunt our collective past.

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1. Stephen Duncan

Stephen Duncan was once the wealthiest cotton planter in the antebellum South, amassing immense riches through the labor of over 2,200 enslaved people across Mississippi and Louisiana. His vast holdings and calculated investments made him a powerhouse in Southern economics, yet his story rarely surfaces in mainstream history. Duncan’s influence extended far beyond his plantations, shaping regional commerce and politics while the human cost of his empire remains overlooked. Source

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2. John Burnside

John Burnside’s journey from Scottish exile to Louisiana’s largest slaveholder is a chilling example of international ambition fueling American slavery. At his opulent Houmas House estate, Burnside enslaved more than 800 people, driving massive profits from the sugar trade. His immigrant success story is often celebrated, but rarely are the brutal realities of his labor force acknowledged. Burnside’s legacy serves as a stark reminder of how global connections and personal ambition intertwined to perpetuate the horrors of slavery. Source

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3. William Ellison

William Ellison stands out as a rare and controversial figure in American history: a formerly enslaved man who went on to become a wealthy slave owner himself. After gaining his freedom, Ellison acquired significant land and built a profitable cotton gin business in South Carolina, ultimately enslaving dozens of people to expand his fortune. His remarkable rise challenges common assumptions about race, class, and complicity in the antebellum South. Ellison’s story is a powerful, often overlooked reminder that the brutal economics of slavery transcended simple racial lines. Source

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4. Joshua John Ward

Dubbed the “King of the Rice Planters,” Joshua John Ward amassed a staggering fortune in South Carolina, controlling over 1,000 enslaved people. His sprawling rice plantations were notorious for their grueling labor and relentless exploitation. Ward’s success was built squarely on the backs of those forced to endure brutal conditions, yet his name is seldom found in textbooks. His legacy exposes the ruthless realities behind the South’s rice wealth, a chapter of history too often glossed over. Source

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5. Thomas Spalding

Thomas Spalding, owner of Sapelo Island, was both an agricultural innovator and a ruthless exploiter. In 1802, Spalding sold his plantation on St. Simons Island and began purchasing land on Sapelo Island. By the time of his death in 1851, Spalding and his family owned all of Sapelo Island with the exception of 650 acres at Raccoon bluff.

He implemented experimental techniques for cultivating sugar and cotton, methods that often intensified the suffering of the enslaved workforce he commanded. Spalding’s plantations became infamous for their harsh regimens and relentless pace. While he is occasionally celebrated for his agricultural advances, the enduring trauma inflicted on generations of enslaved people forms the true legacy of his empire. Source

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6. Henry Laurens

Henry Laurens held a unique and troubling position in American history as both a Founding Father and one of the largest slave traders in colonial America. Serving as president of the Continental Congress, Laurens helped shape the nation’s ideals while simultaneously profiting from the forced enslavement and transport of thousands of Africans. This stark contradiction in his legacy is often glossed over in history books. Laurens’s story is a sobering reminder that the roots of American freedom are deeply entangled with the horrors of slavery. Source

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7. Wade Hampton II

Wade Hampton II was the patriarch of one of America’s most powerful dynasties, presiding over more than 3,000 enslaved people and vast plantations in South Carolina and Mississippi. His wealth and influence were nearly unparalleled, and he used his political power to defend and perpetuate the institution of slavery. Hampton’s legacy is not just one of staggering fortune but also of deep complicity in a system of oppression that shaped the South for generations. His story highlights how economic and political might often worked hand in hand to sustain slavery. Source

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8. Zephaniah Kingsley

Zephaniah Kingsley was a notorious slave trader and plantation owner in Florida, whose life was marked by contradiction and controversy. While he owned hundreds of enslaved people and profited from their exploitation, Kingsley also married an enslaved African woman and advocated for more flexible racial laws. His writings and practices challenged some norms yet reinforced others, making his legacy a subject of ongoing debate. Kingsley’s story reveals the complex and often hypocritical attitudes that permeated the world of slavery. Source

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9. John McDonogh

John McDonogh was a wealthy New Orleans businessman who built his fortune on the backs of enslaved laborers. Despite his oppressive practices, McDonogh’s legacy is layered—his will allocated much of his estate to fund public education in New Orleans and Baltimore. This philanthropic gesture has sparked enduring debate: can charitable acts redeem a life built on exploitation? McDonogh’s story forces us to confront uncomfortable questions about the intersections of wealth, morality, and historical memory. Source

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10. Isaac Franklin

Isaac Franklin co-founded Franklin & Armfield, the largest and most infamous slave-trading firm in the United States. His staggering fortune was built by orchestrating the forced migration of thousands of enslaved people from the Upper South to the Deep South—a process marked by cruelty and heartbreak. Despite the scale of his operations, Franklin’s name rarely appears in American history textbooks. His story stands as a stark illustration of how individuals profited immensely from the commodification and suffering of others. Source

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11. Robert Carter III

Robert Carter III was once among Virginia’s wealthiest landowners, his fortune rooted deeply in the exploitation of enslaved labor. In a remarkable and rare turn, Carter stunned his contemporaries by freeing hundreds of enslaved people through his will—one of the largest acts of manumission in American history. Yet, his wealth and influence were accumulated over generations of bondage, underscoring the deep moral complexities that surround even the rarest gestures of emancipation. Source

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12. James H. Hammond

James H. Hammond, a prominent South Carolina governor and senator, was notorious for both his wealth and his brutality. His plantations thrived on the forced labor of hundreds, and his personal life was marred by the documented sexual abuse of enslaved women. Hammond’s unapologetic and public defense of slavery—including his infamous “mudsill theory”—became a cornerstone of pro-slavery ideology in the South. His actions and rhetoric not only perpetuated suffering but also helped justify and entrench the institution of slavery for future generations. Source

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13. John Armfield

John Armfield, partner to Isaac Franklin, played an equally pivotal role in the notorious Franklin & Armfield slave-trading firm. Armfield orchestrated the forced migration and sale of thousands, amassing an enormous fortune by treating people as commodities. His business acumen was matched only by his willingness to profit from human suffering. Despite his central role in one of America’s darkest industries, Armfield’s name remains largely unrecognized, a testament to how history often overlooks its most troubling chapters. Source

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14. John Joyce

John Joyce, a wealthy Cuban planter with significant interests in the United States, gained a reputation for his extreme brutality. Notoriously, Joyce played a leading role in the illegal transatlantic slave trade even after it was officially banned. His influence extended across national borders, fueling the continued trafficking and exploitation of countless lives. Joyce’s story is a stark reminder of how the pursuit of profit often drove individuals to defy laws and deepen the horrors of slavery. Source

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15. Jean Noel Destrehan

Jean Noel Destrehan was a formidable force in Louisiana’s early political and economic life. As a sugar planter, he relied heavily on enslaved labor to amass both extraordinary wealth and significant political clout. Destrehan’s influence shaped Louisiana’s laws and society, intertwining his legacy with the systemic oppression that enriched him. Today, the remnants of his estate stand as somber reminders of a time when prosperity and exploitation were deeply linked. Source

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Conclusion

The stories of these 15 wealthy and wicked slave owners reveal a hidden history often absent from mainstream narratives. Their fortunes were built on the suffering and dehumanization of countless individuals, and their legacies continue to shape our society in ways both seen and unseen.

Acknowledging the dark roots of prosperity and power is essential for a more honest understanding of history. We must confront these uncomfortable truths and ensure that the voices and experiences of the oppressed are no longer overlooked or forgotten.

Let us challenge ourselves to remember—and to learn.

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