Home > Industrial Revolution > Jay Gould Biography

Born May 27, 1836

Roxbury, New York

Died December 2, 1892

New York, New York

American financier

"I can hire one-half the working class to kill the other half."

Jay Gould earned his fortune by means of financial manipulation, using investments in western U.S. railroads to gain a virtual monopoly on rail traffic to the southwestern quarter of the United States, giving him almost exclusive control over the rails in this region. He was one of the Industrial Revolution's so-called robber barons—owners of businesses that stifled competition in industries while amassing enormous fortunes. His business tactics and unethical behavior in pursuit of wealth made him widely disliked, both personally and professionally. But Gould's fortune did not survive even one generation. His son George took over the business upon Jay Gould's death and, through an...