A genius for money : business, art and the Morrisons / Caroline Dakers.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dakers, Caroline.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Morrison, James, 1789-1857.

Morrison, James.

Businessmen--Great Britain--Biography.

Businessmen.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (341 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, c2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This is the spectacular rags-to-riches story of James Morrison (1789-1857), who began life humbly but through hard work and entrepreneurial brilliance acquired a fortune unequalled in nineteenth-century England. Using the extensive Morrison archive, Caroline Dakers presents the first substantial biography of the richest commoner in England, recounting the details of Morrison's personal life while also placing him in the Victorian age of enterprise that made his success possible. An affectionate husband and father of ten, Morrison made his first fortune in textiles, then a second in international finance. He invested in North American railways, was involved in global trade from Canton to Valparaiso, created hundreds of jobs, and relished the challenges of "the science of business". His success enabled him to acquire land, houses, and works of art on a scale to rival the grandest of aristocrats.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Illustrations

Acknowledgements

The Family Tree

Introduction

1. Middle Wallop

2. The Todds of Fore Street

3. Fore Street and the Textiles Trade

4. James Morrison, 'the Napoleon of Shopkeepers'

5. The Education of a Gentleman (Part One)

6. The Education of a Gentleman (Part Two): The Grand Tour

7. Into Parliament

8. Fonthill

9. 57 Harley Street

10. In Parliament

11. 'The American Project'

12. Letters from America, 1841-1845

13. Basildon: Papworth's Last Commission

14. Basildon: 'What a Casket to Enclose Pictorial Gems'

15. The Final Decade

16. Charles Morrison, 1817-1909: 'Statesman in Finance'

17. Alfred Morrison, 1821-1897: 'Victorian Maecenas'

Epilogue

Notes

Select Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [304]-313) and index.

ISBN:

0-300-18459-X

OCLC:

811405739