John Jacob Astor came to the U.S. from Germany not long after the colonies gained their independence as a nation. He made his first fortune in the fur trade, and then diversified his income and built a legendary fortune.

Research:

• Irving, Washington. “Astoria, Or, Anecdotes of an Enterprise Beyond the Rocky Mountains.” G.P. Putnams Sons. 1861. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Astoria/DAzBRmfcZloC?hl=en&gbpv=0
• “ROMANCE OF THE HISTORIC EDEN FARM OWNED BY ASTOR FAMILY SINCE 1803.” New York Times. Feb. 29, 1920. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1920/02/29/118265256.html?pageNumber=80
• Shachtman, Tom. “The Founding Fortunes: How the Wealthy Paid for and Profited from America's Revolution.” St. Martin's Press. 2020.
• “John Jay’s Treaty, 1794–95.” U.S. Department of State. Office of the Historian. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1784-1800/jay-treaty
• Youngman, Anna. “The Fortune of John Jacob Astor.” Journal of Political Economy, vol. 16, no. 6, 1908, pp. 345–68. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1820664
• Youngman, Anna. “The Fortune of John Jacob Astor: II.” Journal of Political Economy, vol. 16, no. 7, 1908, pp. 436–41. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1820843
• Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "John Jacob Astor". Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Jul. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Jacob-Astor-American-businessman-1763-1848
• Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "American Fur Company". Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Dec. 2018, https://www.britannica.com/topic/American-Fur-Company
• Ziak, Rex. “The Astor Dynasty.” The Astorian. Dec. 7, 2018. https://www.dailyastorian.com/news/the-astor-dynasty/article_d9163297-dfb7-5c77-83d8-3db1340017f7.html
• Madsen, Axel. “John Jacob Astor: America's First Multimillionaire.” Wiley. 2001.