Gould, Jay, 1836-1892

Jay Gould (1826-1892) was an American financier and railroad entrepreneur.

Jason Gould was born May 27, 1836 in Roxbury, New York to Mary (Moore) and John Burr Gould. As a young man, Gould helped prepare maps of several counties in New York, Ohio and Michigan. In 1856, he wrote History of Delaware County, and Border Wars of New York, a work which explored the local history of the region. Around 1857, Gould opened a tannery in northern Pennsylvania. He soon began speculating in small railways. Gould and James Fisk joined the directorate of the Erie Railroad in 1867. Shortly after, the partners strategically named Peter Sweeney and William (Boss) Tweed directors. The two directors, particularly Tweed, were able to use their leverage in politics to arrange favorable legislation for the railroad. Gould was eventually forced out of the Erie Railroad corporation, but merely shifted his speculative interests to other business such as the Union Pacific and Missouri Pacific railroad, Western Union Telegraph Company, and the New York World.

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