STEPHEN GIRARD Biography - Bussiness people and enterpreneurs

 
 

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STEPHEN GIRARD

Name: Stephen Girard                                                                 
Born: May 20, 1750 Bordeaux, France                                                 
Died: December 26, 1831 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania                                   
                                                                                     
Stephen Girard (May 20, 1750–December 26, 1831) was an American philanthropist     
and banker.                                                                         
                                                                                     
                                                                                     
He was born in Bordeaux, France, and became a sailor at the age of 13. By 1773       
he was master and captain of a vessel operating between New York, New Orleans,       
and the West Indies. In 1777, as a result of British blockades of seaports           
during the American Revolutionary War, he engaged in a mercantile career in         
Philadelphia, a city where his business interests could prosper, and his atheism     
was not a disadvantage. From 1780 to 1790 he resumed maritime trade with the         
West Indies, in partnership with his brother John. He developed a large fleet of     
vessels that engaged in worldwide trade. His efficient business practices           
enabled him to rapidly build a sizable fortune.