USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -John Pierpont Morgan was an American financier and industrial organizer during the Gilded Age. In 1885, America was years into a depression, and gold reserves were down more than 50%. Morgan feared that if the U.S. dollar was devalued, his fortune would be in jeopardy.

Detailed explanation-2: -At face value, Morgan contributed greatly to American industry. He invested in Thomas Edison and the Edison Electricity Company; helped to create General Electric and International Harvester; formed J.P. Morgan & Company; and gained control of half of the country’s railroad mileage.

Detailed explanation-3: -J.P. Morgan was known for reorganizing businesses to make them more profitable and stable and gaining control of them. He reorganized several major railroads and became a powerful railroad magnate. He also financed industrial consolidations that formed General Electric, U.S. Steel, and International Harvester.

Detailed explanation-4: -J. Pierpont Morgan partners with Philadelphia banker Anthony Drexel to form Drexel, Morgan & Co., a private merchant banking house in New York City. Pierpont builds his reputation as a leader in railroad investments, the largest and most dynamic American industry in the years after the Civil War.