Born August 10, 1821
Portland, Ohio

Died February 16, 1905
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Banker, investor, war bonds pioneer

Jay Cooke. Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

"Newspapers and individuals got into the habit of gloomily deploring the [Civil War] and its ruinous expenditure. I offset this by quoting the fact that every dollar raised by the loans went right back into the hands of the people and was new and vigorous blood permeating all through the body of the nation."

Jay Cooke had a dramatic rise and fall during the Civil War (1861–65) and the Reconstruction era (1865–77). He used innovative methods to help the U.S. government finance (pay for) the Civil War, for which he became known as the "financier of the Union." During the Reconstruction era, Cooke invested heavily in railroads. When the national economy faltered in 1873, Cooke's financial empire of banks was wiped out; they had invested too heavily...