In the 15th year of collaboration between Wilton Library and Wilton Historical Society, the scholarly lecture series will focus on the theme of “Tycoons: Bane or Benefactors?” During this program, Susan Berfield will discuss J.P. Morgan, the most influential financier of the Gilded Age. He wasn’t the richest, but that didn’t matter; he was commanding in a way none could match. He had an aristocrat’s disdain for public sentiment and the conviction that his actions were to the country’s advantage, no explanations necessary. We’ll examine those actions and the legacy of “the boss of bosses.”

This program is sponsored by Sue Sherwood. The moderator is Stephen Hudspeth. Online registration is required in order to receive the Zoom invitation link which will be sent out early on the day of the program.

This program is being hosted virtually by Wilton Historical Society. No charge to attend, but a $10 donation to the hosting institution is suggested. Click here to donate.

Susan Berfield is an award-winning investigative reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek and Bloomberg News where she has covered some of America's largest corporations. She has been interviewed on PBS NewsHour, NPR's All Things Considered, Marketplace, On Point, and elsewhere. The Hour of Fate: Theodore Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, and the Battle to Transform American Capitalism was the winner of the 2021 Theodore Roosevelt Association Book Prize, a finalist for the Presidential Leadership Book Award, and an Amazon Best Book of the Year.