The Gilded Age Season 3 Introduces Another Famous Historical Robber Baron

Warning: SPOILERS for The Gilded Age Season 3, Episode 2 – “What the Papers Say”

George Russell is the shrewdest businessman in The Gilded Age, but season 3, episode 2, has just introduced another important robber baron who was incredibly influential in real life. The Gilded Age takes place in the era of the same name, which was characterized by huge economic growth in the late 19th century United States that masked growing social discontent. This attitude is personified by The Gilded Age‘s characters, who enjoy their lavish lifestyles despite also seeing the social inequalities that other characters face.

While The Gilded Age‘s lavish displays of power by characters like Mrs. Astor, Bertha Russell, or Agnes van Rhijn are a clear representation of the era’s extreme social rules, George Russell’s business dealings form an even better picture of the attitude of the age. George has always been the most powerful character in The Gilded Age thanks to his massive wealth and willingness to go to extremes to get what he wants. This is still true in The Gilded Age season 3, as a new business partner for George joins the series in the form of a famed real-life financier.

The Gilded Age Season 3 Introduces Historical Robber Baron J.P. Morgan

Morgan Is One Of The Most Important Figures Of The Period

George Russell’s dealings in the business world are an important part of The Gilded Age, even if they do get less screen time than Bertha Russell’s plotting for power. Robber barons like George Russell drove the Gilded Age with their business practices, amassing criticism due to their ruthless pursuit of monetary success. J.P. Morgan (played by Bill Camp), specifically, was an investment banker with interests in some of the most important industries of the age, including U.S. Steel, General Electric, various railroads, and more.

While Morgan was born into a banking family, he amassed a huge fortune over the course of his life due to his practice of consolidating corporations. This means that Morgan was one of the first people to work in mergers, taking over any troubled company that he could buy. This made him one of the richest men in America during the Gilded Age, and one of the most powerful, thanks to the number of companies he controlled. When J.P. Morgan died, he was worth $80 million, which is equivalent to $1.2 billion today (via A Biography of America).

Why J.P. Morgan Is Working With George Russell In The Gilded Age Season 3

George Has Big Aspirations For His Railroad

The Gilded Age has always melded real historical figures with its fictional characters, so it is not entirely surprising that the series would want to incorporate one of the most important figures of the period in J.P. Morgan. George Russell is the perfect way for the series to incorporate Morgan because of the similarities in their business dealings and practices. The real-life robber baron is introduced in The Gilded Age season 3, episode 2, as a prospective new business partner for George.

J.P. Morgan is a perfect counterpart to Mr. Russell.

George has always been the show’s main robber baron, and J.P. Morgan is a perfect counterpart to Mr. Russell. After opening the season in Morenci, Arizona, where George is attempting to buy up the mines, he approaches J.P. Morgan in order to finance the venture. George’s plan for a cross-country railroad is ambitious, but he believes it will make him a very rich man. He just needs some extra financial backing to get it done.

George Russell Is Modeled After Real-LIfe Robber Barons Like J.P. Morgan

Mr. Russell May Be Fictional, But His Character Has Real Implications

Bertha and George Russell standing in their box at the opera as they look out over the whole theater in The Gilded Age

Interestingly, real historical figures like J.P. Morgan are who the character of George Russell is based on. The Russell family may be more inspired by the Vanderbilts than J.P. Morgan himself, but George Russell can certainly be seen as an amalgamation of various robber barons, including both J.P. Morgan and Cornelius Vanderbilt. Morgan is not the only real-life robber baron that The Gilded Age has incorporated who would have served as inspiration for George Russell.

The Gilded Age Season 3 Premiere’s Shocking New Location Change Explained By Series Creator

The Gilded Age season 3 opens with George Russell arriving at a surprising new location that’s very different from New York’s posh 61st Street.

In addition to J.P. Morgan, The Gilded Age previously introduced Jay Gould, a railroad magnate from the same period. It may seem strange for the series to incorporate real people that served as inspiration for George, but it actually gives the show a unique opportunity. By introducing various important robber barons, The Gilded Age is able to examine their practices more thoroughly, while also using George to explore how the decisions of the robber barons would have impacted other people, as was seen with the strikes in season 2.

Source: A Biography of America