Chapter 1012: "Genius" Morgan
"We're going to meet the presidents of the United States at their state dinners. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info" Lin Yiqing looked at Morgan's portrait in the newspaper and smiled quietly, "I have to compete again." ”
"There is a proverb in Qianguo, called 'a strong dragon does not suppress the head snake of the earth'," Haruko Eto understood what Lin Yiqing was going to do, and reminded him, "Morgan's power in the United States is very strong, after all, you are an outsider, general, you must be careful." ”
"Don't worry, Haruko." Lin Yiqing patted the little secretary's hand lightly and said with a smile, "Don't forget, the task I gave you." ”
"No, it won't." Haruko Eto winked playfully and made an "ok" gesture to him.
On October 17, 9086 (the 12th year of the Great Qianguang Xu, the 19th year of the Meiji era of Japan), US President Cleveland held a grand state banquet at the White House to welcome Lin Yiqing's arrival.
Morgan's private residence, New York, Murray Hill Neighborhood.
In 9082, Pierponte. Morgan's annual income has reached $500,000, and the center of gravity of the Morgan kingdom has shifted from London to New York. To show that its financial resources were no longer the same as before, Pierponte. Morgan and his wife, Fanny, sold their mansion on East 40th Street and bought a new one that had formerly been Isaac. A mansion owned by Phelps (Phelps Dodge Company) made of brown sandstone. The new mansion is located at 219 Madison Avenue, intersecting the northeast corner of 36th Street, still in the residential neighborhood of Murray Hills in Manhattan. There is less hustle and bustle of the city here, and you can also overlook the clear waves of the East River from the window. At that time, the fashion was to indulge in luxury and pleasure, and the general businessmen and wealthy were deeply immersed in the pleasures and extravagance of the popular dogs and horses. In contrast, the Morgan family's new mansion is magnificent, but not overly elaborate and trivial. The main gate is flanked by ancient Greek Ionic columns; A bay window overlooks Madison Avenue. The room is furnished with solemn wooden furniture and dotted with small antiques. In the bright and spacious study, the four walls are inlaid with mahogany panels from Santo Doming, and in the center is the Pierpont . Morgan's huge desk, with its momentum, seemed to transform the study into the office of a merchant bank partner. The atmosphere in the room was so gloomy that the 12-man team of servants called it the "Black Study".
A novelty feature of this Morgan mansion is that it uses electricity, and in all of New York, it was the first private residence to be illuminated with electricity. Pierponte's interest in this new energy source came from a business relationship. In 9078, Thomas. Edison received a sum of money from a number of chaebols, including Morgan Partners, to create his own "Edison Electric Lighting Company". Unfortunately, however, the hellish roar of the generator became the bane of the Morgan's neighbors. At that time, in the bustling business district, Drexel-Morgan presided over the early business meetings of the Edison Company. In 9082, it became the first office on Wall Street to draw electricity from Edison's power station. The power station at that time was located on Pearl Street. Edison, dressed in a Prince Albert-esque gown, attended the first ceremony to deliver electricity to 23 Wall Street, and he kept a private account with the Morgan Bank.
The decision to move to Murray Hills was a clear indication of the Morgan's disdain for the "nouveau riche" of today's riches. When they choose the neighborhood where their new home is located, the so-called "elegance" has shifted to non-commercial areas. Along Fifth Avenue, there are ornate palaces built by the great business magnates, whose architectural style is nothing more than a plagiarism of the European castle style. Running through the entire 51st to 52nd Streets, is William. Henry. Vanderbilt's huge, clumsy and vulgar mansion. Towering between Fifty-Seven and Fifty-eighth Avenues is William. Henry's son, Cornelius. Another high hall built by Vanderbilt II. The site has changed hands to Bergdorf? Goodman's name.
As a combination of Connecticut Americans and London aristocrats, members of the Morgan family disagreed with poverty and luxury, and were reluctant to show up in the newspapers. Like Europe's most important financial tycoons, the Morgan family is very concerned about maintaining their privacy. Pierponte. Morgan has an almost religiously fanatical protective attitude toward its privacy. He established a permanent image: a tycoon in a top hat roaring, waving a cane at a photographer. He participates in 19 private clubs, most of whose members are limited to Anglo-Saxon Christianity, and enjoys working with senior tycoons. Unlike most club members, Pierponte. Morgan prefers to form clubs rather than take advantage of them. At one point, some of his friends were dismembered from the United Club. So he appointed Stanford. White designed the Mets Club, which later earned the title of "Millionaire's Club." Morgan became the first chairman. He has never been a pioneer in upholding social justice and equality. When the son of a prominent Jewish banker in New York was expelled from the United Club, Morgan had no objection to this.
But now Morgan, for all his glory, is not as free as one might think, at least in the light of his father, Junius. Spencer. Morgan in front of him.
"You didn't even go to the state banquet to welcome the envoy of the Qianguo." Junius. Morgan was furious at Pierponte. Morgan said, "I remember the White House sent you an invitation!" ”
"I don't want to go." Pierponte. Morgan replied calmly, "Because I don't like Qianguo." ”
"Don't like it? What is the reason for this? "Junius. Morgan said angrily, "Is it just because he's a Qianguo? ”
Seeing his father moved really angry, Pierponte. Morgan was silent.
Emerson once said, "An institution is an extension of a person's influence." If this is the case, then at the Morgan Consortium, that influential person is Junius. Morgan. His family motto was given to his son Pierponte. Morgan made a deep imprint. As one reporter put it: "The people of the Morgan family have always believed in absolute ****. Junius. Morgan has always dominated his family and business – including his son and partners. "Junius. Morgan's immense influence has always controlled his son's life.
Junius. Morgan is calm and calm, and he doesn't show off. He is intelligent and unobtrusive, with a kind attitude, but he practices iron discipline. Despite inheriting a large inheritance, he has always maintained a personable and elegant manners.
The Morgan family is one of the richest people in the United States, with a family name that can be boasted of. The first generation of the Morgan family in the United States was Miles, who migrated from Wales to Springfield, Massachusetts, 16 years after Mayflower landed in Plymouth. Miles made his fortune by running farms and fighting wars with the Indians, accumulating large tracts of land for the Morgan family for generations. During the American Revolution, his descendant Joseph. Morgan had confronted General Washington's army. In 9071, Joseph sold his farm in West Springfield, Massachusetts, and moved to Hartford, Connecticut, which later became the home of the Morgan family.
In 9036, Joseph bought a partnership stake in his son Junius at the Hausher Fabric Store in Hartford. In the same year, Junius married John Murphy of the Old Hollis Street Church in Boston. Juliet, daughter of the Reverend Pierponte. Pierpont married. In 9037 their son John. Pierpont was born, and the union of Morgan and Pierpont formed the incredible genes in this baby.
When Joseph died in 9047, he left behind a fortune of more than $1 million. Four years later, Junius converted his share capital in Haummater into $600,000 in cash and moved to Boston to pursue further growth. He was a partner at the restructured "Bebe-Morgan & Company". This is Boston's largest business company, and Junius operates globally, exporting cotton and other goods on fast ships from the Port of Boston, as well as financing funds. It was in Boston that he provoked George. Peabody's attention.
Pierpont had already made arrangements in his father's business plan. Knowing that Baring Bank and Rothchild Bank were essentially family businesses, with their children carefully taught to inherit their respective estates, Junius was determined to learn from them. In addition to Sarah, Marie, and Juliet, Pierpont had a younger brother, Junius Jr., nicknamed "The Doctor", who died in 9058 at the age of 12. Hence Junius. Morgan's ambitions rested entirely on Pierponte, the only surviving male heir. For this, Junius gave him a gentleman's education.
Pierpont almost never showed intellectual curiosity or a preference for reasoning throughout his life, and it was in Göttingen that he learned best in mathematics. Beneath his arrogant and brutal childish appearance, he has a heart for art. He also collected autographs of presidents and celebrities, as well as stained glass fragments found in church yards.
Junius. Morgan was so troubled by his son's bad temper that he complained to his friends, "I don't know how to deal with Pierponte." He said the child needed to be "disciplined" and tried to instill in him a strong sense of responsibility. When Pierpont was 21 years old, Junius told him, "If I don't get it, you're the only one in the family who can think of a way and an idea...... I want you to remember that you have to be prepared to take on these responsibilities – to be on your mind at all times, and to be ready to take on and fulfill them whenever they fall on your shoulders. For young people, this is indeed a serious admonition.
If Pierpont was corrupted by Wall Street in troubled times, he also had times when he was surprisingly soft-hearted. In 9061, the year of the "Government Carbine", the 24-year-old Pierpont fell feverishly and sincerely in love with Amelia. Sturgis. Their honeymoon was very touching, even a little quirky. Pierpont travels with his lover to the warm ports of the Mediterranean, hoping that she will recover. When she died four months later in Nice, Pierpont was devastated, and his deep love for him never faded, and he bought his first painting of a dying young woman and hung it in a prominent place on the fireplace. This shows that although the people of the Morgan family are grim on the outside, they are actually sentimental on the inside.
Seeing his son act so recklessly and choosing a mate so surprising, Junius was determined to take his son's life into his own hands. Pierponte. Morgan and Junius. Morgan can trust each other, but there is also a fierce conflict of wills between the two. The Morgan father and son duo appeared on the world banking stage at a time when the power of the banking sector was expanding dramatically. That era is known as the "Age of Lords".
As the "age of lords" continued, the lines between finance and commerce began to blur, and this continued until much of industry was freed from the control of the bankers.
With such influence over the company, the major bankers developed a condescending style, like the lords who accepted the offerings of their servants. They operated according to a set of conventions that came to be known as the "gentleman's banker's code."
As Junius became the richest American banker in London, he became more refined and luxurious. He lives at Knightsbridge House, 13 Princes Gate, a neoclassical five-storey building facing the southern end of Hyde Park.
The Morgan family was very dignified, with a manservant in the house, and the Morgan family dined in evening dresses, followed by French Bordeaux red wine and Havana cigars. It was also very religious, and every morning Junius had his servants line up for morning prayers. Following the tradition of merchant banks, Junius was also engaged in art collecting in his spare time, and his son often went to galleries with him when he was in town. Junius's friends say his home is like a museum, with walls decorated with 16th-century Spanish embroidery, vaults inlaid with silver, and a collection of paintings by famous European masters.
Seven miles away on the outskirts of London, Junius bought the Dover Manor, which covers 92 acres of land with rolling lawns that stretch all the way to the banks of the River Thames. It's a miniature kingdom. The farm's milk room is filled with fresh milk and cream, the greenhouses are full of flowers, the gardeners tend the strawberry gardens, and the children swing in the playground. Dover Manor is idyllic and well-organized. The trees are evenly spaced and the lawn is perfectly trimmed. In those days, Junius was playing tennis in a bowler hat and a three-piece suit, clutching his racket as if he were clutching a big stick, which did not seem to be in harmony with the background of entertainment. He regularly went to the field to hunt pheasants, showing his aristocratic style.
Junius was tall, kind and confident, and his wife, Juliet. Pierponte. Morgan makes a very quirky pair. She was short, mediocre, and plump, but she was getting weaker and weaker, and she often wondered what she was doing. Because she was often homesick, she would always take a boat back to New York to stay with Pierpont for a while. Her husband rose to prominence and became a powerful man in London, and his body was healthy and strong, while Juliet became weaker and more withdrawn. In her later years, she was ill for a long time and often lived in the upstairs bedroom. She seems to be suffering from some kind of Progeria. Their son, Pierponte, lived in a pattern of his wife's frail and husband's autocracy. In the years that followed, this indescribable sadness and loneliness haunted the successful and brilliant Morgan family.
Pierponte. Morgan was a Junius for 30 years. Morgan's agent on Wall Street, he relied on the strength of British capital to develop. Young Morgan looked like a muscular man, but he wore a well-made English coat. He had big shoulders and a round waist, thick black hair, and boxer-like hands. He's over 6 feet tall, a bit of a playboy, and he likes plaid waistcoats. Junius's gaze was aggressive and unfathomable, while Pierpont's hazel eyes were often sad and gloomy. His father was always calm, but Pierpont was fickle, looking nervous and irritable, always looking like he was going to fight.
In the 70s, Pierpont. Morgan began to expand his influence, and he didn't just see himself as a provider of money for various companies, he wanted to be a lawyer, chief priest, and confidant of those companies.
Although Pierpont. Morgan was gifted, but he had to be shaped by his father. When Pierpont set out to set up his own company, he had only $350,000 on hand. To help his son, Junius invested another $5 million. Pierpont was always grateful for the loan his father had given him, and he never pretended to be self-reliant. He once told the then governor of New York, now President of the United States, Grover. Cleveland: "If I've accomplished anything in my life's journey, my father's support is the most I should be thankful for. ”
Pierponte. Morgan's experience is to go from a young Taoist to a **** monarch who is 100% convinced of the correctness of his views. He was strong-willed, stubborn, and convinced of all his sudden whims—a trait that later made him seem like a force of nature, the darling of the "zeitgeist."
In the year of panic in 9073, Pierpont. Morgan, who made more than $1 million, boasted to Junius, "I believe there is nothing else in this country that can bring about such an outcome." "The future of the Morgan consortium was shaped in those gloomy days of the Great Panic. As his fame grew, Pierpont. Morgan gradually became irritable and yelled at people, day by day. Even in his letters to his father, he did things on his own, writing in a tone that was more like a confident business partner than an obedient son. Junius was annoyed by his son's behaviour and sometimes put on a stern face, but he clearly admired Pierpont's achievement. In Pierponte's view, his father's annoying disguise was a tacit acquiescence to his own "genius". (To be continued.) )