Stephen Girard : America's first tycoon /

Stephen Girard--mariner, merchant, farmer, banker, and America's first tycoon--comes alive in this well-researched biography by a retired editorial writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer. This is the story of "a man of many parts, a man of derring-do," although the author acknowledges that there are many loose ends. It is also a story of Philadelphia from Girard's arrival in 1776 until his death in 1831, and a story of the American Revolution and the slave trade in the West Indies during that period. If the goal of biography is to be the soul of history through which we can learn about the complexities of another age, this book clearly achieves that goal. We learn of a self-educated, book-loving Frenchman who at 13 became a sailor like his father, developed into an astute international trader who also founded a bank, and became the wealthiest man in America, financially rescuing his adopted country during the War of 1812. A fascinating tale. --Mary Whaley

Stephen Girard (1750-1831), a French sea captain fleeing creditors, arrived in the U.S. in 1776 and settled in Philadelphia. After the Revolutionary War, he founded a trading fleet that prospered and made him the country's first millionaire by 1807. His extraordinary financial success is documented in detail by Wilson (Yesterday's Philadelphia), a former columnist with the Philadelphia Inquirer who had access to all Girard's papers. Clearly an admirer of his subject, Wilson presents Girard in a highly positive light and occasionally veers into hyperbole. Girard, however, did have a strong humanitarian side, exemplified by his bequests to charitable institutions. During the War of 1812, he bought out the U.S. bank and helped finance the insolvent U.S. government. Although his personal life was darkened when his wife was institutionalized for insanity, he later found happiness with several mistresses. Photos not seen by PW. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Wilson, an editorial writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, has written an affectionate biography of America's first multimillionaire. Girard, French by birth, later an American citizen, sailed his crippled ship into Philadelphia days before the Declaration of Independence. He stayed, becoming the city's most prominent merchant, banker, and philanthropist. Girard was visionary in trading on a global scale and, ironically in these times of government financial crises, was instrumental in underwriting the government's bonds in the War of 1812; he even made personal loans to presidents. Girard's will placed most of his fortune in long-term investments to support charities and created a legal precedent when his relatives fought in vain to overturn it. At his death in 1831, he left money to establish Girard College and made contributions to many Philadelphia institutions; some of his bequests still exist. This biography is the first in English to include material from the subject's private papers. As biographies go, it will be most enjoyed by general readers and amateur scholars who can appreciate the enlightening tangents with which Wilson illustrates the times.‘Robert Moore, DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Co., Information Svcs., N. Billerica, Mass. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.