J.P. Morgan

Both a historical figure and a modern financial titan. John Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913) was the most powerful banker of the Gilded Age, personally orchestrating the bailout of the U.S. financial system during the Panic of 1907 -- an act that ultimately led Congress to create the Federal Reserve. Today, JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank in the United States by assets, a major prime broker for hedge funds, and a dominant force in investment banking, trading, and asset management.