Richard Kinder

Oil pipeline billionaire; Kinder Morgan Energy Partners

In October2025 Nancy and Rich Kinder said they are giving away most of their money - about $10 billion to local Houston charities. The Kinders were early signatories of The Giving Pledge, the campaign started by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett back in 2010. According to Forbes, as of October 19, 2025, the Kinders are Houston’s wealthiest residents, with a combined net worth of about $11.2 billion. Quit job as Enron president 1996; uneasy with "asset light" approach. Formed pipeline firm Kinder Morgan with college buddy William Morgan. Purchased Enron pipeline business; added more pipes from ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Shell. Picked up Terasen for $5.6 billion 2005. Now controls 35,000 miles of pipe, 170 terminals. Took company private last year for $22 billion with investor Fayez Sarofim, Goldman Sachs. Changed name to Knight Inc. Owns 31%; Kinder Morgan Energy Partners remains public.

Relationships Interlocks Giving Data

Business Positions

Kinder Morgan Management, LLC

• CEO (Feb '01→?)

El Paso Pipeline Partners LP

• Chairman (May '12→?)

Kinder Morgan Canada Inc.

• CEO

Kinder Morgan Interstate Gas Transmission LLC

• CEO

Kinder Morgan Texas Pipeline, Inc.

• CEO

Kinder Morgan, Inc. Largest midstream and third largest energy company in North America

• CEO (May '07→?) [+1]

• President (Jul '04→May 4 '05)

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. One of the largest publicly-traded pipeline limited partnerships in the United States

• CEO

Kinder Morgan G.P., Inc.

• President (Jul '04→?) [+1]

• Founder ('97)

Enron Corp defunct U.S. energy company; major accounting fraud

• CEO ('90→Dec '96) [+1]

• Position ('80→Dec '96)

Board Memberships

Santa Fe Pacific Pipelines Inc.

• Chairman

Kinder Morgan Management, LLC

• Chairman (Feb '01→?)

USA Waste Services, Inc.

• Director ('97→?)

Kinder Morgan Canada Inc.

• Chairman

Kinder Morgan, Inc. Largest midstream and third largest energy company in North America

• Board Member (Feb '11→?) [+2]

• Chairman

• Chairman & Chief Executive Officer (?→'15)

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. One of the largest publicly-traded pipeline limited partnerships in the United States

• Chairman

Kinder Morgan G.P., Inc.

• Chairman (Feb '97→?)

Baker Hughes, a GE company, LLC Oil & gas drilling products and consultant

• Director ('94→Apr 28 '04)

National Petroleum Council Advisory committee to the Secretary of Energy composed of oil & gas executives

• Vice Chairman (past)

Transocean Ltd. One of the world's largest offshore drilling contractors

• Director (past)

Positions

Interstate Natural Gas Association of America Natural gas trade group

• Chairman (past)

Donations

GPS Action

• Donation/Grant · 10,000 USD [+1]

• Donation/Grant (May 24 '18)

Federal Election Campaign Contributions

1 / 16

Right to Rise USA Jeb Bush's super PAC

• 4 contributions · 1,765,800 USD (Jun 8 '15→May 2 '16)

RNC Republican National State Elections Committee

• 6 contributions · 490,242 USD ('95→May 7 '02)

Republican National Committee U.S. political committee that leads the Republican Party of the U.S., a/k/a The Grand Ol' Party/GOP

• 9 contributions · 179,200 USD ('00→'12)

National Republican Senatorial Committee Campaign committee for Republican U.S. Senate candidates

• 4 contributions · 129,400 USD ('11→May 31 '18)

Cornyn Majority Texas

• 2 contributions · 96,200 USD (Dec 12 '19→Aug 11 '20)

National Republican Congressional Committee

• 5 contributions · 89,600 USD ('96→Feb 23 '17)

Cornyn Victory Committee

• 3 contributions · 88,600 USD (Oct 19 '21→Apr 18 '24)

Boehner for Speaker Cmte

• 3 contributions · 80,800 USD (Oct 28 '11→Apr 17 '14)

John McCain US Senator and Representative from Arizona

• 7 contributions · 40,100 USD ('08→Mar 31 '08)

Cornyn Majority Cmte

• 1 contribution · 38,900 USD (Feb 24 '17)

Holdings

Kinder Morgan, Inc. Largest midstream and third largest energy company in North America

• Insider [+1]

• major shareholder (Feb '11→?)

Memberships

National Petroleum Council Advisory committee to the Secretary of Energy composed of oil & gas executives

• Member

Family

Nancy Kinder Wife of Richard Kinder; president of the Kinder Foundation

• wife

Schools

University of Missouri The first public institution of higher education west of the Mississippi River

• Bachelor of Arts / Science