Robber Baron
Author | : John Franch |
Publisher | : University of Illinois Press |
Total Pages | : 386 |
Release | : 2006 |
ISBN-10 | : 9780252030994 |
ISBN-13 | : 0252030990 |
Rating | : 4/5 (94 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: "After losing his fortune and being jailed for financial improprieties in Philadelphia, Yerkes schemed his way out of prison. With his boundless ambition and entrepreneurial genius intact, he relocated to Chicago and made millions from questionable financial transactions, while at the same time forging one of the world's finest mass transit networks. Despite various philanthropic efforts, Yerkes and his methods were fiercely opposed by the press and public, and he left Chicago a bitter man. Moving to London, he organized much of the Underground, battled J. P. Morgan, and romanced Emilie Grigsby, the love of his life, before succumbing to kidney disease in 1905.".