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James FiskAmerican stockbroker and corporate figure
Date of Birth: 01.04.1835
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of James Fisk
James Fisk, an American stockbroker and corporate executive, known by various nicknames including 'Big Jim' and 'Diamond Jim', was named one of the 'robber barons' of the Gilded Age. He was involved in a scandalous affair with a prostitute named Josie Mansfield, and his former business partner, the handsome Edward Stokes, attempted to blackmail him. However, the blackmailers did not receive a penny. In the end, Edward, who was on the verge of bankruptcy, reached his breaking point and took up arms.
Early Life
James Fisk Jr. was born on April 1, 1835, in Pownal, Vermont, Bennington County. Tired of sitting behind a school desk, Fisk ran away from home in 1850 and joined Van Amburg's Circus and Menagerie. He later worked as a waiter in a hotel. Eventually, he followed in his father's footsteps and became a peddler. The skills he acquired during his time in the circus proved invaluable to the itinerant hawker. Fisk rose to the position of salesman at the Boston firm 'Jordan Marsh' and was later sent to Washington, D.C., where he began selling textiles to government institutions. According to some reports, during the Civil War, Fisk engaged in cotton smuggling on the front lines and asked his father for financial assistance to expand his business. In the end, he accumulated a considerable fortune but quickly lost it all.
Stockbroker and Scandals
In 1864, James became a stockbroker in New York and worked for American financier Daniel Drew. He assisted Drew in a war against Cornelius Vanderbilt for control of the Erie Railroad. This ultimately led to Fisk and speculator Jay Gould becoming members of the board of the Erie Railroad. Gould and Fisk engaged in risky financial operations, including forming an open alliance with New York politician Boss Tweed, who bribed legislators and judges. Their attempt to monopolize the gold market resulted in the fateful 'Black Friday' on September 25, 1869. Many investors suffered while Gould and Fisk managed to avoid significant financial damage.
Personal Life and Tragic Death
James married Lucy Moore in 1854 when he was 19 years old and she was 15. Moore was an orphan raised in Springfield, Massachusetts. Despite her husband's numerous infidelities, Lucy maintained a good relationship with him. He visited her every few weeks and tried to spend all summers and vacations with her. In New York, Fisk began a secret affair with former singer and prostitute Josie Mansfield. They met in apartments near the headquarters of the Erie Railroad company. When their relationship was exposed, the New York public was shocked. Josie then fell in love with Fisk's business partner, Edward S. Stokes, known for his good looks. Edward left his wife and children for her, while Josie left James. The lovers attempted to extort money from Fisk by threatening to publish letters he had written to Mansfield, which supposedly proved his legal violations. However, the blackmailers did not receive a penny.
Disappointed and financially depleted from their empty battles, Stokes reached his breaking point and shot Fisk on January 6, 1872, at the Grand Central Hotel in New York. Before his death, Fisk managed to leave a note naming his killer. Stokes served time in Sing Sing prison for involuntary manslaughter, under relatively comfortable conditions. Fisk was buried in Brattleboro, Vermont. He was criticized by high society for his immorality and eccentricity. However, he was loved and mourned by the working class of New York and employees of the Erie Railroad.
In 1937, a biopic titled 'The Toast of New York' was made about the life of the infamous stockbroker, with Edward Arnold portraying Fisk.
