The Ordeal of Hetty Green
For five hours, she pleaded, she shouted and she threatened, while crowds out on Wall Street watched the drama through the bank’s big plate glass windows.
Author John Steele Gordon
John Steele Gordon
John Steele Gordon, the ABA Banking Journal's "From the Vault" columnist, is an acclaimed economic historian. His books include An Empire of Wealth, Hamilton’s Blessing and The Great Game.
A New Kind of Branch Bank
In 1954 bank architecture joined the 20th century, with a revolutionary bank branch at 43rd Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
England’s ‘Secret Weapon’: How a Bank Laid the Groundwork for the British Empire
It was the Bank of England and the British national debt that made Great Britain a superpower.
The Mismanagement of the Freedman’s Bank
An institution whose whole purpose had been to safeguard the money of the country’s poorest ended up destroying it.
J.P. Morgan to the Rescue
It had been a near-run thing but the Panic of 1907 subsided—and the crisis had one positive outcome.
How a ‘Generous Skinflint’ Restored America’s Fiscal Reputation
Having devoted his entire adult life to accumulating one of the great fortunes of the age—while spending as little as possible in the process—George Peabody spent his last decade giving it away.
Making It in America
When we think of Gilded Age bankers, we tend to think of top-hatted men with names like Morgan, Stillman and Peabody. But there is one conspicuous exception: Amadeo Peter Giannini.
How Credit Cards Fueled Global Economic Growth
By greatly facilitating transactions, William Boyle’s credit card helped the global economy to grow, and benefited bankers, merchants and customers alike.
Stephen Girard: The Banker Who Saved America
Philadelphia financier Stephen Girard risked his fortune to save the republic in the War of 1812.