The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance
, subject: J.P. Morgan, the Morgan banking dynasty, and the history of Anglo-American finance, 1990
The House of Morgan follows a banking dynasty where a son works in a father's shadow and J.P. Morgan treats competition as destructive.
About the book
Winner of the National Book Award, the history spans more than 150 years and four generations of Morgans. It follows the firms that carried the name, J. P. Morgan & Co., Morgan Stanley and Morgan Grenfell, alongside the family's private lives and its dealings with governments and corporations.
Why read it
Best if you want a family history of Morgan banking that shows a son working in a father's shadow and a financier who treated competition as destructive
Key themes
- Succession in a father's shadow
- Competition as something destructive
Evidence and original sources
Sources: official Founders episodes — #139, #142, #156, #169, #197, #206, #248, #283, #338
This record is supported by 9 public evidence rows linked to original Founders episodes.
- J.P. Morgan — David dedicates this episode to Ron Chernow's The House of Morgan, reading from its prologue and author's foreword and covering the Morgan banking dynasty in depth.
- Teddy Roosevelt and J.P. Morgan — David draws on The House of Morgan as prior reading that shaped his understanding of J.P. Morgan, including Junius Morgan's influence and E.H. Harriman.
- Theodore Roosevelt — David says he read The House of Morgan on Founders #139 and that Theodore Roosevelt was a main character in it.
- David Ogilvy (The King of Madison Avenue) — David references his prior Founders episode on The House of Morgan as the famous Morgan family biography.
- Founder of the Rothschild Family Dynasty — David ties private banking practices back to his earlier coverage of The House of Morgan.
- Albert D. Lasker (the creation of the advertising industry) — David identifies The House of Morgan as Founders episode 139 and points listeners to it.