Stephen Girard

Stephen Girard
Stephen Girard, late in life
Born	(1750-05-20)May 20, 1750 Bordeaux, France
Died	December 26, 1831(1831-12-26) (aged 81) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Occupation	Sailor, banker, entrepreneur
Net worth	USD $7.5 million at the time of his death (approximately 1/150th of US GNP)
Spouse(s)	Mary Girard
Children	Mary Girard (died in infancy)
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Stephen Girard (May 20, 1750 – December 26, 1831; born Étienne Girard) was a French-born, naturalized American, philanthropist and banker. He personally saved the U.S. government from financial collapse during the War of 1812, and became one of the wealthiest people in America, estimated to have been the fourth richest American of all time, based on the ratio of his fortune to contemporary GDP. Childless, he devoted much of his fortune to philanthropy, particularly the education and welfare of orphans. His legacy is still felt in his adopted home of Philadelphia.

Girard was born in Bordeaux, France. He lost the sight of his right eye at the age of eight and had little education. His father was a sea captain, and the son cruised to the Caribbean and back, was licensed as a captain in 1773, visited California in 1774, and thence with the assistance of a New York merchant began to trade to and from New Orleans and Port au Prince. In May 1776, he was driven into the port of Philadelphia by a British fleet and settled there as a merchant.

In 1776, Girard met Mary Lum, a Philadelphia native and nine years his junior. They married soon afterwards and Girard purchased a home at 211 Mill Street in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey. She was the daughter of John Lum, a shipbuilder, who died three months before the marriage. Girard became a resident of Pennsylvania in 1778. By 1785, Mary had started to succumb to sudden, erratic emotional outbursts. Mental instability and violent rages led to a diagnosis of incurable mental instability. Although Girard was at first devastated, by 1787 he took a mistress, Sally Bickham. In August 1790, Girard committed his wife to the Pennsylvania Hospital (today part of the University of Pennsylvania) as an incurable lunatic. He provided her every luxury for comfort, she gave birth to a girl whose sire is not entirely certain. The child, baptized with the name Mary, died a few months later, while under the care of Mrs. John Hatcher, who had been hired by Girard as a nurse. Girard spent the rest of his life with mistresses.