Financial History Issue 116 (Winter 2016) | Page 41

claimed that Hamilton owned at least part
of the Sun, but White could not substantiate those claims. White also points to the
intriguing possibility that Hamilton was
intimately involved in the rise of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Again, however, the
evidence is thin and bound to be controversial. It is also not clear if Hamilton was
merely a stockbroker, as some described
him, or if he was really what today would
be considered a hedge fund manager.
A business or financial historian ought
to build on White’s work to see if he or
she can find new sources or reinterpret
the ones that White has already (painstakingly) discovered. White is a fine cultural
historian, but clearly his grasp of business and financial concepts is lacking, as
repeatedly shown by his clumsy language

in sections dealing with insurance and
banking in an otherwise extremely wellwritten book. The cultural components
of the book, from New Yorkers’ attitudes
toward interracial marriage to beliefs
about hair texture and skin complexion,
are absolutely fascinating and well worth
the price of admission. 
Robert E. Wright is the Nef Family Chair
of Political Economy at Augustana University in South Dakota and a member of
the magazine’s editorial board. He is the
co-author, with board chairman Richard
Sylla, of Genealogy of American Finance
(2015) and the author of several hundred
other articles, books, reviews, and talks
about business, economic, financial and
policy history.

HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW
ABOUT FINANCIAL HISTORY?

TRIVIAQUIZ
By Bob Shabazian

 1. The Museum’s “Worth Its Weight”
exhibit features the world’s oldest
known gold coin. From when does
the coin date?
 2. Why was Lillian Vernon’s listing
on the American Stock Exchange
groundbreaking?
 3. Alexander Hamilton’s portrait
currently appears on the face of the
$10 bill. What image is depicted on
its reverse?
 4. What was the outcome of t H