A Disposition to Be Rich: Ferdinand Ward, the Greatest Swindler of the Gilded Age

by Ward, Geoffrey C.
ISBN: 9780345804693
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Overview

A New York Times Notable Book

The compelling behind-the-scenes story of the greatest swindler of the Gilded Age, whose villainy bankrupted Ulysses S. Grant and stunned the world of finance--told by his great-grandson, award-winning historian Geoffrey C. Ward.

Ferdinand Ward, the son of a Protestant missionary and small-town pastor, moved to New York at twenty-one and, in less than a decade, made himself the business partner of a former president and established himself as the "Young Napoleon of Finance." In truth, he was running a massive pyramid scheme. Drawing from thousands of family documents never before examined, Geoffrey C. Ward traces his great-grandfather's rapid rise to riches and fame, and his even more dizzying fall from grace, in a narrative populated with mistresses, crooked bankers, corrupt New York officials, and a desperate kidnapping scheme. Here is a great story about a classic American con artist.

  • Format: TradePaperback
  • Author: Ward, Geoffrey C.
  • ISBN: 9780345804693
  • Condition: Used
  • Dimensions: 7.90 x 1.00
  • Number Of Pages: 418
  • Publication Year: 2013