J.P. Morgan

**John Pierpont Morgan, Sr.**, nicknamed "J.P." is an American financier and banker. He is a character in 'The Alienist' and is portrayed by Michael Ironside.

## Character Overview

John Pierpont Morgan, Sr. is a middle-aged, sturdy, Caucasian man. J.P. Morgan is bald, with a pair of gray handlebar mustache and dark eyes. He wears very elegant three-piece suits, with richly embroidered vests and silk neckties pinned with jewels. J.P. Morgan is a business-minded man and a prominent member of the. His hubris drives him to think he holds the future of the city – or even the nation – and would be a key figure in shaping the mind of the masses, thus creating a new structured civil order. J.P. Morgan is also a great art collector, and enjoys art in its many forms, ranging from painting to music.

## Biography

Early Life

Morgan was born into the influential Morgan family in Hartford, Connecticut, and had a very good education. Dominating the financial environment, he imposed himself as an influential figure of his time. Through his financial knowledge, he even came to advise friends and acquaintances such as former Police Commissioner Thomas Byrnes on how to properly invest their money on Wall Street.

The American Dreamer

New York City, 1896. J.P. Morgan went to the Metropolitan Opera House to enjoy a show sitting in the lodge with young, beautiful women. During the intermezzo, he went to the buffet where he greeted newly appointed Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt who was conversing with two men.

A few weeks later, J.P. Morgan went to the charity gala where he exchanged a few words with Roosevelt. After he had himself photographed with his family and friend John Moore, Morgan asked for a photo with him and took the opportunity to warn Roosevelt about the actions he had taken. Pursuing his "witch hunt" on corruption in public offices and letting an alienist and amateur detectives investigate crimes deemed meaningless, in fact, was causing discontent among the "Four Hundred" and Morgan advised the Police Commissioner to be more careful otherwise he wouldn't have a future.

After further homicides and a riot outside the Police Department, J.P. Morgan ordered for both Dr. Laszlo Kreizler and John Moore to be kidnapped and brought to his mansion for a closed-door meeting in which former Police Commissioner Thomas Byrnes and Bishop Potter also took part.

Playing solitaire sitting at his desk in a lavish living room, J.P. Morgan remained silent as the men exchanged hastily their opinions. Byrnes accused Kreizler of being in league with the socialists spurred by Paul Kelly, while both Kreizler and Moore could not understand how a Bishop wasn't interested in stopping the killings and how it was possible the police failed to investigate them under Byrnes' mandate. Morgan was fascinated by Kreizler's fervor and asked Bishop Potter and Byrnes to leave. Suggesting them to go to the Van Bergen to show support to the family during the mourning, Morgan managed to stay alone with the two young men.

Once left alone, Morgan asked for clarification on the deviant mind to Dr. Kreizler. He was very interested in the financial and social future of New York and, for this, he was available to finance Dr. Kreizler and his entourage in their chasing after the mysterious killer. Morgan poured some whiskey and asked Moore if he wanted a lemonade since he had seen him avoiding alcohol at the charity event a few days earlier. Moore refused the offer, as did Kreizler. The men took their leave as neutral allies in the preservation of New York and its citizens.

Several days later, Morgan went to a tailor where he bought a hat, asking the clerk to box it just as he met Roosevelt. Morgan said to him about his meeting with Thomas Byrnes and advised the Commissioner to bury the hatchet. In his opinion, there was no reason for him and Byrnes to throw heads over the child killer. Morgan went on to say that people were not ready for that new form of investigation and that it would be a blow if people were to find out that an alienist could figure out who the killer was before their police department could. The two took their leave with a bittersweet farewell.

## Memorable Quotes

**J.P. Morgan**: “*Do not betray your own kind, Roosevelt, or you'll find yourself with no job, no friends, and no goddamn future.*”
— Ascension

**J.P. Morgan:** “ *Gentlemen, do you know why I collect art? It persuades me that the world is a more beautiful place than I know it to be. I take comfort in that which I can understand. And a man who kills for no apparent reason is beyond my comprehension.*”
**J.P. Morgan**: “*I believe there are two reasons why a man does what he does the good reason and the real reason.*”
**J.P. Morgan** (to Dr. Kreizler and Moore): “*Gentlemen, you have made yourself a very wide variety of very powerful enemies in a very short period of time.*”
**J.P. Morgan:** “*The civil unrest caused by these murders troubles me a great deal, a great deal, indeed possibly even more than the murders themselves. A harsh truth, hmm, but a truth nonetheless.*”
— Many Sainted Men

**J.P. Morgan**: “*People aren't ready for this new highfalutin form of investigation. They just want this son of bitch caught.*”
**J.P. Morgan**: “*Faith is a terrible thing to take away from a man, Theodore. It's like taking away his future.*”
— Psychopathia Sexualis

## Appearances

The Alienist

* Ep. 1: *The Boy on the Bridge* (mentioned)
* Ep. 2: *A Fruitful Partnership*
* Ep. 6: *Ascension*
* Ep. 7: *Many Sainted Men*
* Ep. 8: *Psychopathia Sexualis*

## Notes

* J.P. Mogan is an in-universe depiction of John Pierpont Morgan Sr., an American financier, and banker who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation in the United States of America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

## Gallery

* Promo Stills
* Screencaps

 *Photo by Kata Vermes and Jesse Giddings. [Courtesy of TNT Pressroom]*

## References

1. ↑ *‘The Alienist’: J.P. Morgan Promotional Quote on TNT Instagram account.*
2. ↑  Hossein Amini (writer) & Jakob Verbruggen (director); (January 22, 2018); "The Boy on the Bridge". Episode 1. *The Alienist*. TNT
3. ↑  Hossein Amini & E. Max Frye (writers) & Jakob Verbruggen (director); (January 29, 2018); "A Fruitful Partnership". Episode 2.*The Alienist*. TNT
4. ↑  E. Max Frye (writer) & Paco Cabezas (director); (February 26, 2018); "Ascension". Episode 6.*The Alienist*. TNT
5. ↑ John Sayles (writer) & Paco Cabezas (director); (March 5, 2018); "Many Sainted Men". Episode 7.*The Alienist*. TNT
6. ↑ John Sayles (writer) & David Petrarca (director); (March 12, 2018); "Psychopathia Sexualis". Episode 8.*The Alienist*. TNT