Edwards, Wife Made $39 Million Over 10 Years

Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards and his wife reported nearly $39 million in income over the 10 years ending in 2003, according to figures released Friday by the campaign.

The senator from North Carolina, a former plaintiff’s lawyer, and his wife, Elizabeth Edwards, paid $13.1 million in federal taxes during that period, the campaign said.

The bulk of the couple’s income came from the candidate’s law practice before he was elected to the Senate in 1998, according to the campaign. His Senate salary is $158,100 a year.

The campaign released copies of the first two pages of each year’s tax returns. The couple filed under the names Johnny R. Edwards and Mary E. Anania until 2002, when she began listing her name as Elizabeth A. Edwards.

Elizabeth Edwards practiced law until 1996, but it was unclear from the documents how much of the family’s income she generated.

The couple reported $5.2 million of income in 1994, $5.4 million in 1995, $4.3 million in 1996, $11.4 million in 1997 and $5.9 million in 1998.

After Edwards’ election to the Senate, he continued to supplement the family’s income with investment gains and proceeds from the sale of his share in his law practice, according to the campaign.

The couple reported $1.7 million in income in 1999, $1.8 million in 2000, $1.7 million in 2001, $1.2 million in 2002 and $305,922 last year.

Over the 10 years, the couple donated about $3.3 million -- or 8.6% of their income -- to charity, the campaign said.