Stephen  Girard  lost  the  sight  of  one  eye,  by  accident,  when  he
was  twelve  years  of  age.  After  the  separation  from  his  brother,
he  went  largely  into  the  St.  Domingo  trade ;  and,  while  a  brig  and
schooner  of  his  were  lying  at  Cape  Frangois,  the  great  revolt  of
the  negroes  occurred.  Many  planters,  in  the  panic,  removed  their
valuables  on  board  his  vessels,  and,  again  returning  to  the  shore,
were  cut  off  by  the  negroes.  Whole  families  thus  perished  to-
gether ;  and  Mr.  Girard,  by  the  most  extensive  advertising,  could
never  ascertain  the  heirs  of  the  wealth  (said  to  be  about  $50,000
or  $60,000)  that  thus  fell  into  his  hands.  His  next  commercial
enterprises  were  in  the  East  India  trade,  in  which  he  had  several
ships,  and  acquired  a  large  fortune.  At  the  expiration  of  the
charter  of  the  old  United  States  Bank,  in  1810-11,  he  purchased,
through  the  Barings,  in  London,  about  $500, 000  of  that  stock ;
and,  not  long  afterwards,  purchasing  the  banking-house  of  the
institution,  in  South  Third  Street,  and,  making  arrangements  with
the  former  cashier,  Mr.  George  Simpson,  he  started  his  own  private
bank,  in  May,  1812,  with  a  capital  of  $1,200,000.  This  was  a
bold  step  at  the  opening  of  the  war  with  Great  Britain ;  yet  the
specie  was  never  refused  for  a  bank  note  of  Stephen  Girard.  When
the  new  United  States  Bank  was  started,  in  1816,  he  waited  until
the  last  moment  before  the  subscription  books  closed,  and  then,
inquiring  if  all  that  wished  had  subscribed,  he  coolly  took  the
balance  of  the  stock,  amounting  to  $3,100,000, — some  of  which
he  afterwards  parted  with.  By  the  subsequent  rise  of  this  stock
his  fortune  was  immensely  augmented.  His  own  bank  was  con-
tinued until  his  death,  when  it  had  accumulated  a  capital  of
$4,000,000.  The  bank  was  afterwards  chartered  by  the  Legisla-
ture as  the  Girard  Bank,  with  individual  stockholders.  M1:.  Girard


STEPHEN    GIRARD.  41  f,

died  of  influenza,  on  the  26th  December,  1831,  at  his  residence,  in
Water  above  Market  Street.
