Portal:Philadelphia/Selected biography/March 2006

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Stephen Girard (May 20, 1750–December 26, 1831) was an American philanthropist and banker.

He was born in Bordeaux, France, and became a sailor at the age of 13. By 1773 he was master and captain of a vessel operating between New York, New Orleans, and the West Indies. In 1777, as a result of British blockades of seaports during the American Revolutionary War, he engaged in a mercantile career in Philadelphia. From 1780 to 1790 he resumed maritime trade with the West Indies, in partnership with his brother John. He developed a large fleet of vessels that engaged in worldwide trade. His efficient business practices enabled him to rapidly build a sizeable fortune.