P.P.F. Degrand

The Boston Stock exchange was formed on October 13, 1834 and was originally called the Boston Brokers Board. The original members were the following:

Henry Andrews
Matthew Bolles
Benjamin Brown Jr
J.W. Clark
Samuel Gilbert Jr.
Enoch Martin
Edmund Monroe
Samuel G. Williams
Thomas R. Sewall
John E. Thayer
Geo M. Thatcher
Charles Torrey

P.P.F. Degrand was also a founding member and the Boards 4th President. He was French Protestant immigrant who had lived in Paris,London and New York City before settling into Boston. He started out spending 10 years as a newspaper man in Boston and was a close friend of John Quincy Adams.

Degrand was an advocate of the cross country railroad being developed, and a such was much criticized for having extravagant dreams. When the railroad did go in 25 years later it was how and where he said it would be.