Wealth quote of the day by J. Pierpont Morgan, “Nothing so undermines your financial judgement as the sight of your neighbor getting rich.” J. Pierpont Morgan was not just a banker; he was the unofficial central bank of the United States before the Federal Reserve even existed. Born in 1837 in Hartford, Connecticut, Morgan was groomed for financial dominance by his father, Junius Spencer Morgan. He was a mathematical prodigy educated in Europe, but his life was defined by physical and emotional grit.