Fisk, James

(born April 1, 1834, Bennington, Vt., U.S.—died Jan. 7, 1872, New York, N.Y.) U.S. financier. He worked his way up from circus hand to stockbroker and corporate official. He joined Daniel Drew and Jay Gould against Cornelius Vanderbilt in the “Erie War,” in which the three tried to maintain control of the Erie Railroad Co. by issuing fraudulent stock. They also attempted to corner the gold market by inflating the price, a venture that led to the panic of 1869. Known as “the Barnum of Wall Street,” Fisk produced theatrical shows and dallied with showgirls; he was fatally shot by an associate at age 37 after quarreling over business matters and a mistress.

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