Overview
Select records of the investment banking house Jay Cooke & Co.
Dates
- Creation: 1832-1915 (inclusive)
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1870-1905
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Materials stored onsite. Please contact specialcollectionsref@hbs.edu for more information.
Extent
40 linear feet (98 volumes, 100 boxes)Material includes miscellaneous letters and agreements of the two banking houses: Jay Cooke & Co. and Charles D. Barney and Company, many of which have to do with Jay Cooke & Co. in bankruptcy. There are manuscripts relating to the Northern Pacific Railroad, numerous smaller railroads, mining enterprises, and land companies, many of which were western investments. Among the best papers in the collection is a lengthy memoir written by Jay Cooke when he was about 75 years old. Agreements constitute one of the most valuable parts of the collection—one particularly, a contract between Jay Cooke and the Northern Pacific Railroad dated 1869, being significant.
Historical Note:
Jay Cooke (1821-1905) founded the investment banking house of Jay Cooke & Co. in Philadelphia in 1861. During the U. S. Civil War Cooke played a leading role in selling government bonds to finance the war effort. The firm failed in 1873 partly because of Cooke’s involvement in financing construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The firm of Charles D. Barney and Company, established by Cooke’s son-in-law, was the successor firm.
Series Outline
The collection is arranged in the following series:
- Series I. General papers, 1832-1905
- Series II. Bills, 1867-1886
- Series III. Estate of Jay Cooke, 1887-1915
- Series IV. Eilton improvements, 1880-1881
- Series V. Personal letters, 1867-1898
- Series VI. C. D. Barney & Co., 1874-1910
- Series VII. Checks, 1876-1912
- Series VIII. Dakota joint account, 1890-1907
- Series IX. Deeds, 1753-1904
- Series X. Land warrants, 1854-1867
- Series XI. So. Mountain Mining and Iron Co, 1877
- Series XII. Assets and payments, 1884-1890
- Series XIII. Stock certificates, 1877-1905
- Series XIV. N. P. R. R., 1872-1874
- Series XV. Bankruptcy distribution under E. M. Lewis and W. Rushton, Trustees, 1873-1893
- Series XVI. George C. Thomas, 1867-1873
- Series XVII. H. C. Fahnestock, 1866-1871
- Series XVIII. St. Louis River, undated
- Series XIX. J. H. Harding, 1888-1889
- Series XX. Oregon dividend, 1881
- Series XXI. F. O. French, 1877-1883
- Series XXII. C. D. Barney & Co., undated
- Series XXIII. Check books, 1877-1902
- Series XXIV. Western lands, 1867-1905
- Series XXV. Miscellaneous, 1872-1893
- Series XXVI. Oversized material stored in mapcase
Physical Location
MANU
Subject
- Cooke, Jay (Person)
- Fahnestock, Harris C. (Harris Charles) (Person)
- Harding, James Horace (Person)
- Northern Pacific Railway Company (Organization)
- Title
- Jay Cooke & Co. Jay Cooke & Co. Records, 1832-1915 (inclusive), 1870-1905 (bulk): A Finding Aid
- Author
- Baker Library
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- bak00114
Repository Details
Part of the Baker Library Special Collections and Archives, Harvard Business School Repository
Baker Library Special Collections and Archives holds unique resources that focus on the evolution of business and industry, as well as the records of the Harvard Business School, documenting the institution's development over the last century. These rich and varied collections support research in a diverse range of fields such as business, economic, social and cultural history as well as the history of science and technology.
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