biography
| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1835–72)
|
| biography:
| Capitalist, born in Bennington, Vermont, USA. A flamboyant pedlar and stock dealer, in 1869 he opened Fisk & Belden, a brokerage house, with the financial support of Daniel Drew. In the so-called ‘Erie War’ between Drew and Cornelius Vanderbilt, Fisk thwarted Vanderbilt's attempt to purchase Erie Railroad Co stock, and with Jay Gould took over and looted the company. Fisk and Gould's attempt to corner the gold market resulted in the Black Friday panic of 24 September 1869. In the Congressional investigation that ensued, he gained minor immortality with two oft-quoted remarks; he said that the money he had made had ‘gone where the woodbine twineth’ (i.e. ‘up the spout’ vanished) and that ‘nothing is lost except honor’. Known as the ‘Barnum of Wall Street’ for his fraudulent business practices and notorious for his sybaritic lifestyle, he died after being shot by Edward Stokes during a dispute over business matters and a mistress. |
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