Of all the so-called “robber barons,” J.P. Morgan ranks as one of the most maligned. After all, he was one of the most powerful men in American history. At the height of the Gilded Age, he built a financial empire that made the Morgan family a dynasty. Twice, when the federal government faced collapse, it was Morgan who stepped in to stabilize the nation. Was he a robber baron or a captain of industry? His story shows how one man’s wealth and influence profoundly shaped the American economy, leaving a legacy that still looms large over Wall Street today.
