The Ambassador from Wall Street: The Story of Thomas W. Lamont, J.P. Morgan's Chief Executive

by Edward M. Lamont

Overview

This is the first biography of the man who, as J.P. Morgan's CEO and the leading banker of his generation, helped establish U.S. economic policy through his broad-reaching financial, political and social connections.
Edward Lamont offers fresh insight into the turbulent period between the two world wars through this fascinating account of the life of the most influential banker of his era.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781461699996
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	11/24/1993
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	602
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Eward Lamont was a banker for 23 years with the World Bank and J.P. Morgan&Co., Inc. He and his wife, Camille, live in Laurel Hollow, Long Island, New York.

Editorial Reviews

Lamont utilizes family papers and business records to fashion an involving biography of his grandfather. A minister's son and graduate of Harvard, Thomas Lamont (1870-1948) was a journalist and marketing executive before he captured the attention of prominent business leaders and entered the banking industry. Working closely with J. P. Morgan senior, Lamont honed his financial skills handling knotty transactions in America, Mexico, Europe and Japan. He played a prominent role during the 1919 economic conference at Versailles and Allied bond drives in both world wars. The impressive roster of historical personages who figure on these pages testifies to Lamont's wide influence. This comprehensive, well-documented work thoroughly explores the major economic, political and social events shaping the country during the first half of this century. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

The story of Thomas W. Lamont (1870-1948), a banker with the Wall Street firm of J.P. Morgan for almost a half-century, is here told by his grandson. Lamont was a true gentleman who worked largely behind the scenes, whether raising money on Wall Street or negotiating peace in the diplomatic arena. It is to his credit that he was cultivated by U.S. presidents (Hoover and FDR); he enjoyed the good life, and knew ``everyone worth knowing.'' Despite his financial shrewdness, however, he did not anticipate the market crash of 1929. He was also an apologist for the early regime of Mussolini and imperial China prior to World War II. Given the author's familial connection to his subject, one wonders whether Lamont gets off lightly; since most of the book's research is anecdotal (no footnotes are provided), the question lingers. For a more comprehensive treatment of the same period, see Ron Chernow's The House of Morgan ( LJ 2/1/90).-- Richard Drezen, Merrill Lynch Lib., New York

Library Journal

There are a number of individuals who have played a significant role in shaping the U.S., yet whose names are unfamiliar to most Americans. Such a person was J. P. Morgan's CEO Thomas W. Lamont, a man who advised U.S. presidents and other world leaders and helped set economic and financial policy between the two world wars. Lamont's role has been acknowledged in scholarly and specialized histories, such as Warren I. Cohen's "Chinese Connection" (1978), which focuses on Lamont's influence on early U.S.-Chinese and U.S.-Japanese relations. There has never been, however, a biographical profile of Lamont. His grandson Edward, himself active in international banking for nearly a quarter of a century, here offers a thorough portrait based on previously unreleased and extensive personal and family correspondence that the elder Lamont left behind. Not only do we get a firsthand look at history in the making, but we also get glimpses of major social and cultural personalities, such as Charles Lindberg and H. G. Wells. Recommended for banking, foreign affairs, and history collections.

David Rouse

[Lamont] offers a thorough portrait based on previously unreleased and extensive personal and family correspondence...Not only do we get a firsthand look at history in the making, but we also get glimpses of major social and cultural personalities...Recommended.

Booklist

This affectionate and well-researched volume tells of one of the most influential, ven powerful financial figures of his time and certainly one of the most diverse intelligent. We are greatly in debt to Edward Lamont for this literate and thoroughly interesting biography.

John Kenneth Galbraith