This is an I-Heart podcast.

This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories,

the show where America is the star and the American people, coming to you from the city where the West begins, Fort Worth, Texas.

Out of all of the so-called robber barons, J.P. Morgan ranks as one of the most malign. He is widely credited with having saved the U.S. national economy in general, and the federal government in particular

on two separate occasions. Let's take a listen to the story.

It was the 1800s, and in just 35 short years, America had grown into one of the most

powerful countries on the planet

fueled by a group of visionaries who were building a better future

Cornelius Vanderbilt stopped at nothing to connect the nation via railroads

John D. Rockefeller lit homes from coast to coast cheaply and safely with his standard oil. Under the strength

of Andrew Carnegie's steel, cities expanded to the sky and bridges tightened a nation. And

because of J.P. Morgan's business sense and vision, electricity began powering America. But what exactly did J.P. Morgan do?

And why is it that we all know this man's name?

You look at J.P. Morgan the way he controlled the banking system.

Basically, there's one man who just literally dominated the banking industry

and essentially dominated financing in the

country. J.P. was a banker, a very powerful one who pulled the financial strings of wealthy men,

and was called on by presidents for what we now know as a bailout. He was a man who brought order to chaos, a man who made a fortune consolidating broken industries,

buying out failing companies and returning them to profitability.

Twice he was called on by American presidents to save the nation's economy.

Both times he was criticized for wielding

the power for the ability to do so. He was physically large, with massive shoulders,

...