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Quick Facts
- NAME: J.P. Morgan
- OCCUPATION: Art Collector, Business Leader, Philanthropist
- BIRTH DATE: April 17, 1837
- DEATH DATE: March 31, 1913
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Hartford, Connecticut
- PLACE OF DEATH: Rome, Italy
- Full Name: John Pierpont Morgan
- AKA: J.P. Morgan
- AKA: John P. Morgan
Best Known For
J.P. Morgan founded the banking company J.P. Morgan & Co., one of the leading financial firms in the country, in 1871.
Videos see all videos
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J.P. Morgan - Death & Legacy (0:00)
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J.P. Morgan - Carnegie Steel (0:00)
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J.P. Morgan - Panic of 1893 (0:00)
J.P. Morgan - Death & Legacy
J.P. Morgan died on March 31, 1913, in Rome, Italy and is credited for helping to shape the nation into what it is today.
J.P. Morgan - Fight Against Roosevelt
As newly elected President Theodore Roosevelt took office he set his sights on big business and the man at the head of it all, J.P. Morgan.
J.P. Morgan - Carnegie Steel
In 1901, J.P. Morgan undertook the largest business transaction in modern history, the purchase of Carnegie Steel.
J.P. Morgan - Panic of 1893
As a result of the depression of 1893, the federal governments gold reserves had dropped to an incredibly low level. It was then that they decided to call in J.P. Morgan to help solve the crisis.
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Play NowJohn Pierpont Morgan. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 06:26, May 23, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/jp-morgan-9414735.
John Pierpont Morgan. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/jp-morgan-9414735 [Accessed 23 May 2013].
"John Pierpont Morgan." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 23 2013, 06:26 http://www.biography.com/people/jp-morgan-9414735.
"John Pierpont Morgan," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/jp-morgan-9414735 [accessed May 23, 2013].
"John Pierpont Morgan," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/jp-morgan-9414735 (accessed May 23, 2013).
John Pierpont Morgan [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 23] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/jp-morgan-9414735.
John Pierpont Morgan, http://www.biography.com/people/jp-morgan-9414735 (last visited May 23, 2013).
John Pierpont Morgan. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/jp-morgan-9414735. Accessed May 23, 2013.
Synopsis
Born on April 17, 1837, in Hartford, Connecticut, J.P. Morgan would later become one of the most famous financiers in business history. In 1871, Morgan began his own private banking company, which later became known as J.P. Morgan & Co., one of the leading financial firms in the country. Morgan died on March 31, 1913, in Rome, Italy. He was hailed as a master of finance at the time of his death, and continues to be considered one of the country's leading businessmen.
Contents
Famous Financier
Financier, art collector and philanthropist John Pierpont Morgan, best known as J.P. Morgan, was born on April 17, 1837, in Hartford, Connecticut. The son of a banker, Morgan went into the family business and became one of the most famous financiers in history. After working for his father, he started his own private banking company in 1871, which later became known as J.P. Morgan & Co.
His company became one of the leading financial firms in the country. It was so powerful that even the U.S. government looked to the firm for help with the depression of 1895. The company also assisted in thwarting the 1907 financial crisis.
During his career, his wealth, power, and influence attracted a lot of media and government scrutiny. During the late 1800s and even after the turn of the century, much of the country's industries were in the hands of a few powerful business leaders, especially Morgan. He was criticized for creating monopolies by making it difficult for any business to compete against his. Morgan dominated two industries in particular -- he helped consolidate railroad industry in the East and formed the United States Steel Corporation in 1901.
A crucial material in the extensive growth of the nation, U.S. Steel became the world's largest steel manufacturer. The government, concerned that Morgan had created a monopoly in the steel industry, filed suit against the company in 1911. The following year, Morgan and his partners became the subject of a congressional investigation by the Pujo Committee in 1912.
Personal Life
Morgan had many interests beyond the world of banking. He enjoyed sailing and participated in a number of America's Cup yacht races. He was an ardent art collector, creating one of the most significant collections of his time. He later donated his art collection to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and his collection of written works to the Morgan Library—both in New York City.
Morgan's first marriage to Amelia Sturges was brief. She died a few months after their 1860 wedding. Five years later, Morgan married Frances Tracy. The couple had four children: John Pierpont Jr., Louisa, Juliet and Anne.
Morgan died on March 31, 1913, in Rome, Italy. At the time of his death, he was hailed as a master of finance. Today, Morgan is considered one of America's leading businessmen, and is credited for helping to shape the nation into what it is today.
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View groupAmerica wasn't discovered, it was built. At the end of the Civil War, America was seen as a failing experiment in democracy; a nation fraying from the inside and at war with itself. Just 50 years later, the United States was the greatest superpower the world had ever seen. This landmark transition was due in no small part to a group of business-savvy, innovative young men: John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, J.P. Morgan and Thomas Edison. These men constructed a bold vision for a modern America and transformed the greatest industries of our time, including oil, rail, steel, shipping, automobiles and finance; they are unequivocally America's first captains of industry.
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