Events for May 14, 2025

No one in the United States’ financial or business history is as misunderstood and under-appreciated as Jay Gould. This presentation will assess Gould’s skills as a corporate executive following his distressed investment in, and subsequent control of, the Union Pacific Railroad (UP). The UP was in distress due to volatility emanating from the infamous financial panic of 1873. Gould executed his turnaround in an economy devoid of monetary stimulus, without a government bailout, and under pressure from the government to pay back the firm’s public loans. Gould employed many modern techniques in his turnaround that are relevant to 21st-century executives. His example also serves as an important historical reminder that successful executives do not require government bailouts.