Kevin Hern’s net worth revealed: How rich is the U.S. representative from Oklahoma?

Kevin Hern is an American businessman and politician who has served as the U.S. representative from Oklahoma since 2018. Best known for owning and operating several McDonald’s restaurants in Oklahoma, he has been nicknamed “McCongressman.” Today’s article will delve into Kevin Hern’s net worth and explore his business ventures.

How rich is Kevin Hern?

Hern attended Dover High School and graduated from Arkansas Tech University. He worked at Rockwell International and simultaneously pursued a PhD in astronautical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. However, he decided to abandon his studies after the Challenger shuttle disaster. Instead, he pursued and earned an MBA from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. 

In 1987, Hern started working for McDonald’s in Arkansas and worked his way up to an operations manager position. In 1997, he bought his first McDonald’s and ended up owning 18 franchises. Hern sold his last McDonald’s franchise by 2021.

Besides his restaurants, Hern maintained various other enterprises, including a community bank, a hog farm, and high-school sports publications. Additionally, he owned a furniture and decor company that served some of the most prominent U.S. fast-food restaurants.

In 2018, then-Governor Mary Fallin appointed him the U.S. Representative for Oklahoma’s 1st district. He has been re-elected ever since.

Disclaimer: While we strive to estimate net worth accurately from filings, disclosure rules have shortcomings. Personal residences, certain personal property, and federal retirement accounts are often not reported. Large assets can be listed in broad categories like “Over $1 million” or “Over $50 million,” potentially worth much more. Likewise, state financial forms may omit residential property and liabilities like mortgages.

How did Kevin Hern make his money?

Here’s a summary of Hern’s publicly known career paths, business ventures, and other income sources:

• Political career: Kevin Hern’s current position as a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma provides him with an annual salary of $174,000. Needless to say, this stream of income is negligible when compared with his astounding wealth; 

• Business ownership and management: Before entering politics, Kevin Hern has made a reputation for operating several McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) franchises. However, fast food restaurants were not the only business venture initiated by the representative, as he also launched firms such as a hog farm, high school sports publishments, and a furniture and decor company;

• Investing: A massive portion of Hern’s wealth comes directly from investing. That said, many of his investments are controversial as they could breach the STOCK Act. In fact, Finbold’s political stock tracker has found that Hern purchased Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) stock before the company was awarded a $3.4 billion contract. The stock rallied 21% after Hern’s purchase.

Kevin Hern’s assets and liabilities

Kevin Hern’s net worth is magnitudes higher than that of most other representatives. In fact, in 2018, he was the 10th richest representative and by far the wealthiest serving congressman from Oklahoma. His most valuable assets include:

• First Financial Corporation (5% interest)  – partial ownership and stock position with an estimated value of $5,000,000 – $25,000,000;
• Custom Seating, Inc. (40% interest) – partial ownership and stock position with an estimated value of $5,000,000 – $25,000,000;
• Airplanes  – several airplanes with an estimated value of $1,000,001 – $5,000,000 each;
• CSI Real Estate, LLC. (40% interest)  – partial ownership and stock position with an estimated value of $1,000,000 – $5,000,000;
• Devon Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: DVN) – a stock holding worth between $1,000,001 – $5,000,000.

Insider trading involvement

As mentioned before, Kevin Hern has massive stock positions that often conflict with the law. However, the Lockheed Martin stock purchase is not the only conflict of interest the representative has made. In fact, in 2021, Hern failed to adequately disclose stock trades valued at approximately $2.7 million. 

Who is Kevin Hern?

Kevin Hern was born in Belton, Missouri, on December 4, 1961. He is a businessman and entrepreneur known primarily for his ventures in the McDonald’s franchise industry in Oklahoma.

Hern entered politics by winning the Republican nomination for Oklahoma’s 1st congressional district in 2018. A traditional conservative, he advocates fiscal responsibility, limited government, and initiatives that support small businesses. 

The Oklahoma representative was one of the most vocal congresspeople who contested the 2020 elections, which saw Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in the presidential race. He was one of the representatives to seek the House Majority Leader position left by Steve Scalise but ultimately ended up supporting Mike Johnson‘s bid. 

Kevin Hern is married to Tammy Hern, and they have three children and four grandchildren.

The bottom line

Kevin Hern’s net worth, estimated between $46 million and $166.4 million, puts him among the wealthiest congresspeople in the United States. However, besides his ownership stake in various businesses that he managed, a portion of his net worth comes from individual stock trading and investment despite the prohibitions of the STOCK Act. 

Disclaimer: The content on this site should not be considered investment advice. Investing is speculative. When investing, your capital is at risk.

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