William Fargo

William George Fargo (May 20, 1818 – August 3, 1881) was an American businessman and politician who, along with Henry Wells, co-founded Wells Fargo. Originally a shipping, mail delivery, stagecoach, and banking company, Wells Fargo expanded to become a major financial services corporation, which is now considered one of the Big Four of banks in the United States by assets. Fargo was also a co-founder of American Express, along with Wells and John Butterfield.

Early life William George Fargo was born in Pompey in Onondaga County, New York, on May 20, 1818. He was the eldest of twelve children of William C. Fargo (1791–1878) and Stacy Chappel Strong (1799–1869). His younger brother was James Congdell Strong Fargo (1829–1915), who served as president of American Express for 30 years. William's education was limited to the elements of a primary school.

Fargo's family history extends backwards to the seventeenth century, where his ancestor, Jacent "Jason" Fargeau (1622-?), was born in Lyon, France. His son, Moses (1648-1742) was born in Lyon as well. After immigrating to Wales, then to Norfolk, Connecticut, Moses' son, Moses Fargo (1691-1798) , was born. William Fargo (1726-1813) was born in Connecticut, with his son, William Beebe Fargo (1757-1801), serving with distinction in the American Revolutionary War.

Career At the age of 13, Fargo left school and started carrying mail for his native village of Pompey, New York. In 1841, he became a freight agent, an express messenger between Albany and Buffalo, for the Auburn and Syracuse Railroad in Auburn. A year later in 1843, Fargo was a Resident Agent in Buffalo, New York. He left the Auburn and Syracuse Railroad and joined Livingston, Wells & Co., as messenger. were consolidated and became the American Express Company, with Wells as President and Fargo as Secretary.

In 1866, upon the resignation of Henry Wells and American Express' merger with the Merchants Union Express Company, Fargo was elected President of the American Express Company. He was the company's president until he died in 1881, at which point his brother, J. C. Fargo, assumed the presidency, holding the post until 1914. The company opened for business in the gold rush city of San Francisco, and soon the company's agents opened offices in the other new cities and mining camps in the West.

Personal life William G. Fargo Mansion in Buffalo, New YorkIn January 1840, Fargo married Anna H. Williams (1820–1890), daughter of Nathan Williams, one of the proprietors of Pompey, with whom he had eight children: Hannah Sophia Fargo (1847–1851), who died young Mary Louise Fargo (1851–1852), who died young Helen Lacy Fargo (1857–1886), who married Herbert G. Squiers (1859–1911), a diplomat who served as Minister to Cuba (1902–1905) and Panama (1906–1909) Edwin Morgan Fargo (1861–1865), who died young William G. Fargo Mansion as it appeared in 1900 before it was demolished In 1868, when he was 50, Fargo bought on the Buffalo's west side; and between 1868 and 1872, he built the Fargo Mansion at Jersey and Fargo Streets, which was Buffalo's largest mansion. The home was completed in 1872 at a cost of $600,000 . Another $100,000 was spent to furnish and decorate the mansion. Michael Rizzo, a Buffalo historian, wrote:

He died on August 3, 1881, after battling an illness for several months. After his funeral on August 7, 1881, he was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery. At the time of his death, only two of his children were living, Georgia and Helen Fargo. William's brother, J. C. Fargo, succeeded him as President of American Express after his death.

Legacy Fargo's wife, Anna, died in 1890. With their two surviving children living elsewhere, the Fargo Mansion stood vacant for 10 years. It was deemed too expensive to maintain and, with no buyer, the mansion was demolished and the block was divided into residential lots in 1901. The mansion and estate grounds were only 30 years old. and Fargo, North Dakota, are named after him.

The Fargo Estate Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.