Fisk was born on April Fool's Day in the small town of Pownal, Vermont. After a stint in the circus and time spend peddling merchandise with his father, he made his fortune through illegal trade of cotton during the Civil War, shipping it up from the south to be used in making uniforms and blankets for northern soldiers. Although just 36 years old when he was murdered by a business partner, his was the kind of life people wrote books about. There was seemingly no aspect of business that Fisk wasn't willing to jump into, and created by local resident Larkin Mead, Fisk's grave features four woman who each represent an aspect of Fisk's financial empire.
Railroad
The lady below is holding in her hands a stack of railroad shares.
In the late 1860's a bitter battle for control of the Erie Railroad took place, one which pitted controlling partners Fisk along with Daniel Drew and Jay Gould into a fight against tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt, who sought to overtake it. Vanderbilt was steadily buying up Erie stock in an attempt to gain control of the railroad, which the trio countered by continually issuing new stocks to water down the ones Vanderbilt accumulated. This battle became known as the "Erie War". The issuing of new stocks by Fisk's group was completely against the law, but a corrupt partnership with the Tammany Hall Political Party led to legalizing these newly issued stocks, and Vanderbilt for the time being was defeated. Fisk then squeezed Drew out of the picture, giving control of the railroad to just Gould and himself.
Steamships
Holding another pile of shares, a second lady symbolizes Fisk's enterprises in the steamship industry.
In 1869 Fisk purchased the Narragansett Steamship Company, which included the popular steamers Providence and Bristol. Unlike many investors who preferred to remain in the background of their businesses, here is where Fisk's personality went on full display. Not only were the ships full of statues and other extravagances, but Fisk bought himself an admiral's uniform that was described as more costume than uniform, and in full cartoon dress he would personally oversee daily launches as the self-declared admiral of his fleet, a move that earned him the nickname "Diamond Jim".
Gold Coins
Holding a sack of coins, lady #3 symbolizes Fisk's dealings in the stock market.
Google the name Jim Fisk and you'll find many stories related to his shenanigans in the stock market. His most notorious move was when, after illegally manipulating gold prices, he so drastically crashed the market that September 24th, 1869 forever became known as Black Friday. His plan was to convince advisers of president Ulysses S. Grant that the government's steady sale of gold was crippling American farmers and that the practice should be halted, then attempt to coincide with this stoppage by scooping up all remaining gold. This artificial shortage would inflate the price, then Fisk would dump all his shares at the peak. In just days he managed to sway the price of gold by over 30%, but realizing what was happening, Grant released enough government gold to eventually stabilize the price.
Theater
Although she's deteriorated to the point I cannot recognize the emblem she once held, the fourth of Fisk's woman is a representation of his businesses in the theater.
In 1869 Fisk purchased Pike's Theater and renamed it the Grand Opera House, and between this and two other theaters he owned he had become such a fixture in the New York night life he earned yet another nickname, "Jubilee Jim".
Fisk never let things such as his 10-year marriage to wife Lucy Moore get in the way of a girlfriend, and one of his mistresses was the showgirl Josie Mansfield. Fisk moved his railroad headquarters to the upper floors of the Grand Opera House, then set up Mansfield in a residence next door. To facilitate the lovers' liaisons he installed a hidden passageway for Mansfield to pass between buildings. But as unscrupulous as Fisk was with his relationships, so was Mansfield. She had begun an affair with a business partner of his named Ned Stokes, and the pair came up with a plan to blackmail Fisk by threatening to publish love letters he had written to Mansfield. When that plan failed, Stokes confronted Fisk in the stairway of the Opera House and shot him twice. Fisk died the following day, but not before identifying Stokes as his killer.
After a public viewing in New York that attracted 20,000 visitors, Fisk's body was returned to Vermont where he was buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery, in Brattleboro. His wife Lucy lived until 1912 and, ever the good sport, was buried in the same plot beneath Fisk's women.
Both time and vandals have taken their toll on his grave. A relief carving of Fisk that once occupied the front oval disappeared sometime around the year 2000. But enough of the monument - and the girls - remain, to still tell the story of one of America's most infamous, and ruthless, businessmen.
Further Reading:
Brattleboro Historical Society: 'Jubilee' Jim Fisk and Brattleboro
Black Friday, September 24, 1869
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