Stephen Girard was a French-American philanthropist and banker who had an estimated net worth of $105 billion.

Stephen Girard purchased most of the stocks from First Bank of the United States. He opened his own bank, Girard's Bank.

He hired First Bank's cashier, George Simpson, as cashier of the new bank. The bank opened for business on May 18, 1812.

During the War of 1812, Girard's Bank was a principal source of government credit. After the war, Girard became a large stockholder in and one of the directors of the Second Bank of the United States.

Stephen Girard was born on May 20, 1750 in Bordeaux, France. He is married to Mary Lum, and had a daughter named Mary who died a few months after she was born. He died on December 26, 1831 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.