New Book on Eleazar Lord, Driving Force Behind Erie Railroad, Published
From the back jacket cover of Eleazar Lord: The Hidden Legacy by Ralph B. Titus:
Eleazar Lord was a peer of the most powerful men of his day. Working behind the scenes in New York and Washington D.C. during the pre-Civil War era, he helped craft major federal legislation--the tariff bill and the national banking system. He was an ambitious organizer who founded many commercial, educational, and religious institutions. He authored dozens of books and articles.
For much of his life, Lord fought to create what became the Erie Railroad and served as its president on three separate occasions. The railroad turned New York wilderness into productive farmland and spurred trade into both the city of New York and the developing states of the west. Lord was also a successful financier with ties to Wall Street; his financial innovations, such as re-insurance, are still used today.
Washington lobbyist, railroad magnate, financier, yet Lord has been largely forgotten by history. This book establishes that he played at the highest political and financial levels and contributed to major changes in the still-developing country.