In 1775 John and Francis Baring & Company was just one of many merchant houses in London riding the wave of expanding world trade. By 1803, Baring Brothers Bank and its Dutch associate had financed the Louisiana Purchase, a remarkable achievement due in no small part to the bank's connections in particular with wealthy Philadelphia merchant and later senator William Bingham. This book describes the events and relationships that established Barings as the world's first merchant bank and how it played a major role in transforming the United States into an international superpower. Appendices examine the genealogy of the Baring, Bingham, and Willing families; the impact of these banking pioneers on English aristocracy; the life of Anne Willing Bingham; and information on locations featured in the book, among other topics.