Guilty Facts About James Fisk, The Fraudulent Financier
James Fisk—AKA Diamond Jim—was the lovesick Gilded Age financier who made his fortune in blood and gold. He met his end the same way.
1. He Was A Lovesick Pariah
James Fisk turned the blood and tears of the conflict between the Union and the Confederacy into pure, solid gold. His unscrupulous business tactics and salacious lifestyle, however, turned him into a lovesick social pariah, before his fraudulent finances and sleazy romances eventually came to a dramatic end on the steps of the Grand Central Hotel.
2. He Was Not A Fool
James Fisk was born on April Fool’s Day in 1835 but he was no fool. In fact, he’d go on to make his fortune making a fool out of everyone else. But, at first, he started humbly. His first foray into business was with his father, working as a peddler. It was just chump change though and he wanted to make the big bucks. By any means necessary.
3. He Joined The Circus
Fisk had dropped out of school at the age of 12 to work with his father, but it simply wasn’t enough. At the age of 15, he ran away from home and decided to join Van Amberg's Mammoth Circus & Menagerie. It wasn’t exactly Wall Street, but he learned some tricks of the trade. Tricks that would earn him millions of dollars.
4. His Father Taught Him To Lie
Fisk learned a lot from the circus—but he learned even more from his father. For example, his father taught him the value of the truth: zero. “I don’t think Father would tell a lie for twelve and one-half cents,” Fisk once said, “though he might tell eight of ’em for a dollar”. He would have to tell a lot of lies to make his millions.
