Gould family

Gould family
Jay Gould
George Jay Gould
Kingdon Gould Jr.
Current regionNew York, U.S.
Place of originSuffolk, England
Founded
  • 1650
  • 374 years ago
FounderNathan Gold
Connected familiesBeresford family
Drexel family
House of Talleyrand-Périgord
Estate(s)Lyndhurst; Hempstead House; George J. Gould House

The Gould family is a wealthy American family that came to prominence in the late 19th century. The family's fortune was primarily earned through a railroad empire built by Jason "Jay" Gould, a notorious "robber baron" during the Gilded Age. At its height, this network comprised the Denver & Rio Grande, Missouri Pacific, Wheeling & Lake Erie, Wabash, Texas Pacific, Western Maryland and International-Great Northern railroads among others.[1][2]

By the early 20th century, the Goulds lost control over virtually all these railroads largely due to mismanagement by Jay's son, George Jay Gould.[3] Despite losing the source of much of their wealth, subsequent generations of the family continued to be involved in business, politics and philanthropy.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Morris 2005 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Keys 1907, p. 8441.
  3. ^ Treese, Lorett (2006). Railroads of New Jersey: Fragments of the Past in the Garden State Landscape. Stackpole Books. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-8117-3260-4.