The Great Pierpont Morgan: A Biography

A biography of J. P. Morgan, one of the most powerful financiers in American history. John Pierpont Morgan was a dominant figure in American finance at the turn of the twentieth century. He founded U.S. Steel, a conglomeration of leading steel and iron producers, and was involved with the nation's largest coast-to-coast railroad system and the first company to be worth more than $1 billion. Morgan played an instrumental role in developing the Federal Reserve and worked with political leaders to prevent a fiscal crisis in 1907. He was a driving force in the modernization of American business. Morgan was a prominent figure in New York society and a notable art connoisseur whose collection is now housed in Manhattan's Morgan Library & Museum, his former private library. Frederick Lewis Allen examines Morgan's life and character, exploring the evolution of the business landscape during his lifetime, when large corporations began to absorb smaller competitors. The biography provides a detailed portrait of a man whose name is central to American finance and banking history.