Gore 's financial speculations in the late 1780s significantly multiplied his wealth . In 1788 he and Andrew Craigie , a Boston businessman who had retained Gore for legal services , entered into a secret agreement to purchase Continental securities with a face value of $ 100 @,@ 000 in a speculative bid that their value would rise . By late October of that year , the pair had met this goal : Gore had purchased $ 90 @,@ 000 worth of paper for about $ 20 @,@ 000 , and encouraged Craigie to purchase more than the $ 11 @,@ 000 he had acquired if his funding would allow for it . Gore also purchased Massachusetts war @-@ related debts , and lobbied Massachusetts Congressmen for the U.S. government to assume those as well .