The Great Pierpont Morgan

A surprisingly sympathetic biography of J.P. Morgan. He was a steadying force in the marketplace, especially in the area of the railroads where the competition was cut-throat. The author tells of cases where Morgan would re-acquire ownership of a Railroad at a loss, because Morgan thought the owner was not running it correctly. Time and again Morgan would risk money to uphold his business principals often losing money in the deal. Eventually in later years the government stepped in with their regulatory agencies and performed much the same task that Morgan was performing. The author gives some personal insights such as his style of art collecting and his lifestyle. It is very well written, interesting, and appears to be well researched, Morgan's scandals are also mentioned, but overall I am surprised at how straightforward and upright J.P. Morgan appears. I had scant knowledge of J.P. Morgan, and this is the first book I have read by this author, but the viewpoint of this book is so different from what I expected it left me a little skeptical. This book will make the reader think twice that maybe J.P. Morgan is receiving a bum wrap from the reputation he has with the average man on the street's opinion of him. Call it cynicism, but this reader can not shake the feeling that there must more to this guy.