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This book examines the history of the first trust company, the Farmers Loan and Trust, and its influence on the evolution of corporate law, regulation, and taxation.

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List of Tables Acknowledgements Introduction: The Farmers´ Loan and Trust Company as an Institutional Entrepreneur The First Trust Company Vexatious Law Suits and the Path to Railroad Finance The Farmers´ Loan and Trust Company and the Evolution of Corporate Finance Corporate Reorganization Railroad Regulation Taxation Conclusion: Institutions, Entrepreneurs, and American History Notes Bibliography Index

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Bradley A. Hansen is Associate Professor intheDepartment of Economics at the University of Mary Washington.

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