Benjamin Edwards

Benjamin Franklin Edwards III (October 26, 1931 – April 20, 2009) was a stockbroker who expanded A. G. Edwards, a brokerage firm founded by his great-grandfather, from a regional firm to a nationwide stockbroking powerhouse, building it into the largest American brokerage firm headquartered outside of New York City. He built what was the world's largest collection of Imari porcelain, a 3,000-piece portion of which was sold at auction for $6 million. Biography Edwards was born on October 26, 1931, in St. Louis, Missouri, where he lived his entire life other than during college and military service. His father, Presley W. Edwards, was managing partner of the family brokerage business. His great-grandfather, Albert Gallatin Edwards, was an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the administration of Abraham Lincoln, and founded the eponymous firm in 1887. Edwards earned his undergraduate degree from Princeton University in 1953, and did a stint in the United States Navy. A. G. Edwards Edwards joined the syndicate department of the St. Louis company in 1956, working his way up to become president in 1967 when his father retired. He remained in the post until 2001. During his tenure as president, the company's capital expanded by more than 400 times to US$1.6 billion, and its network expanded to cover 49 states, achieving an annual shareholder rate of return of 15%. He would answer his phone himself and made it his job to visit each of the company's 100 offices each year. He would greet all new employees on their first day with the company and no employee was ever laid off during his time leading the firm. The company was ranked highly on an annual basis on the 100 Best Companies to Work for in America list prepared by Fortune magazine.