Forgotten Men of Money: Private Bankers in Early U.S. History

Abstract

Historical accounts of banking developments in the pre-1860 period of U.S. history focus almost exclusively on banking institutions chartered by state and federal governments. Private, unincorporated banks, although known to have existed, are generally ignored as either unimportant numerically or not truly commercial banks in terms of their functions. This paper draws on a variety of literary and quantitative evidence to infer that such views are perhaps in error. Some potential implications of the findings for antebellum banking and monetary history are essayed.