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The Life and Legend of Jay Gould

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In the "Life and Legend of Jay Gould," historian Maury Klein seeks to resurrect the image of the archetypal -- but now largely forgotten -- early American industrialist.

The names Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie and Morgan are familiar to nearly everyone, and in this 497-page biography Klein makes a convincing case that Jay Gould belongs in that pantheon of early American business giants. From his early maneuvers (which Klein claims permanently undermined his reputation) in fighting for control of the Erie Railroad and an attempt to corner the gold market, to his Herculean efforts to build and maintain a vast transportation and communications empire in the face of brutal competition and economic and political chaos, Gould emerges as a true pioneer in American corporate finance. Moreover, perhaps more than any of his contemporaries, Jay Gould was the personification of the so-called "robber baron"; the man and the myth were consummate.

Yet, for all of its promise, this book is a huge disappointment. Klein is a classically trained historian and accomplished professional academic, yet this book reads as if it were composed by a fawning amateur. A project that began as an effort to "set the record straight," ultimately degenerates into a frustratingly air-brushed portrait of a very complex and capable man. Rather than a balanced and objective review of Gould's character and business acumen, the book takes on the form of a giddy valentine. Seemingly every move Gould makes is judged by Klein as "brilliant, masterful and unexpected," while his long list of formidable rivals are portrayed as bumbling morons. For example, after Gould ascended to a leadership position in the Union Pacific railroad, he moved to thwart the ruinous rate wars in transcontinental shipping that had erupted with the Pacific Mail steamship company, the Union Pacific's sole competitor in that market at that time. Shortly thereafter the Panama Railroad, the critical nexus upon which all of Pacific Mail's business depended, was acquired by another speculator and the transit contract with Pacific Mail abrogated. Klein describes Gould's actions in acquiring Pacific Mail and in getting out of the Panama railroad jam in glowing terms, but not a word is said about how someone with his supposed perspicacity could leave such a obviously vulnerable flank exposed in the first place.

Also, the author almost totally neglects Gould's private life. Early in the book Klein confidently pronounces that "Two concerns dominated the rest of Gould's life, business and devotion to family." Yet, from that point forward, nary a word is spoken about Gould's relationship with his wife and family -- or specifically about his relationship with the son whose incapable hands the family fortune would be left to and squandered. In comparison to Ron Chernow's and Jean Strause's treatment of the private lives of John D. Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan, respectively, in recent biographies, Klein's performance in this regard is particularly disappointing.

In closing, two things are clear after reading "The Life and Legend of Jay Gould": 1) Jay Gould was a giant of American business, easily on par with Rockefeller and Carnegie; and 2) the definitive one-volume biography of his amazing life has yet to be written.

Jay Gould is remembered as the worst of the 19th century "Robber Barons" - a destroyer of companies - yet as Maury Klein so ably details, this reputation was almost wholly fabricated by the media and bears little resemblance to a man obsessed with building a transportation and communications empire. Klein's book is more than about Jay Gould, it's about the vast gulf separating all-too-common media generated myths and the truth.

Klein's in-depth Biography is a fascinating account of the life of businessman Jay Gould. Although accurate, Klein's analysis is too kind and almost invariably forgiving to the highly contrversial actions of this complex figure. I recommend this book very strongly!

This book was very long and had very little information about the life of Jay Gould. It is very well researched. If you want to know the details of every railroad Gould bought, it is a blockbuster. If you want to know about what his life was like and who he married and where he lived, this book will not please you. There is very little personal information.

Klein's in-depth Biography is a fascinating account of the life of businessman Jay Gould. Although accurate, Klein's analysis is too kind and almost invariably forgiving to the highly contrversial actions of this complex figure. I recommend this book very strongly!

University of Rhode Island retired professor Maury Klein has a revisionist take on "Robber Baron" Jay Gould. By some means he obtained many of Gould's previously unknown papers from his descendents. Prior historians did not have access to this material. As a result,he takes a more sympathetic view towards Gould than most of his previous biographers. One question that might be raised is whether this view is out of gratitude to the family for giving this rare access, and a desire not to cause them more embarrassment about their notorious ancestor. Klein appears to be aware of this potential criticism, and is careful to document his revisionist thoughts with much of the primary material he obtained. The downside of this approach, however, is that one quickly gets one's fill of turgid Victorian prose. As a result, the book is more for the professional historian than for, say, a railfan with an insatiable desire or more obscure railroad facts. I read the book for a specific purpose--to learn more about Gould's connection with New England railroads, and it served my purposes admirably.

This is book that one needs to purchase if you are interested in the guilded age and one of its smoothest operators. Rising from humble roots Gould camer to dominate the american railroad and finance businesses. Launching many famous raids on wall street, he teamed up with Fisk to try and corner the Gold market.

Jay Gould is a classic american. A trader who was born and worked in a tannery and as an surveyor as a young man he rose to fame and infame. An amazing story, worth the read!