Stillman, James

Stillman, James

(born June 9, 1850, Brownsville, Texas, U.S.—died March 15, 1918, New York, N.Y.) U.S. financier and banker. He began his career in a New York mercantile house. He became president of the National City Bank (see Citigroup) in 1891, shortly after the Rockefeller family obtained a controlling interest in the bank. Under his leadership the bank prospered during the panic of 1893, more than doubling its deposits and becoming the leading U.S. bank. In 1897 it was the only bank capable of financing the reorganization of the Union Pacific Railroad. At his death he left a huge personal fortune.