Stephen Girard (May 20, 1750 – December 26, 1831; born Étienne Girard) was a naturalized American citizen, philanthropist, and banker of French origin. He singularly saved the U.S. government from financial collapse during the War of 1812 by personally financing the war, and is known to have been the first multi-millionaire in US history. He is estimated to have been the fourth richest American of all time, based on the ratio of his fortune to contemporary GDP. Childless, he devoted much of his fortune to philanthropy, particularly the education and welfare of orphans. His legacy is still felt in his adopted home of Philadelphia and his estate continues to fund philanthropic endeavors to this day. Early life Girard was born in Bordeaux, France on May 20, 1750, the son of a common sailor. He lost the sight of his right eye at the age of eight and had little education. He travelled to New York as a cabin boy in 1760 and stayed there, working in the coastal trader system along the east coast and as far south as the Caribbean. He was licensed as a captain in 1773, visited New York in 1774, and thence with the assistance of a New York merchant began to trade to and from New Orleans and Port au Prince. In May 1776, Girard sailed into the port of Philadelphia to avoid a group of Royal Navy warships and settled there running a grocery and liquor shop. By 1790, he had a fortune of $6000 plus a small fleet of trading vessels. In 1791, his merchantmen in the French colony of Saint-Domingue were involved in salvaging goods owned by French planters during the Haitian Revolution. He was left with $10,000 of goods stowed on his ships, the owners of which were likely massacred. Because the owners of the goods were not found, Girard added the goods to his possessions. Girard participated in the Old China Trade, financing voyages to Canton. These voyages profited Girard through the sale of legitimate goods as well as opium, which was smuggled into China. Girard's business ventures in China ended in 1824 following an incident between one of his ships, the Terranova, and Chinese authorities. Marriage In 1776, Girard met Mary Lum, a Philadelphia native nine years his junior. They married soon afterwards, and Girard purchased a home at 211 Mill Street in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey. She