University of Pittsburgh Press
Founding Families Of Pittsburgh
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Founding Families Of Pittsburgh

The Evolution Of A Regional Elite 1760-1910

By Joseph F Rishel
Rishel's study is thought provoking, well researched, and well written. . . . Likely to become a classic in the study of American class and social mobility.
American Historical Review
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As Pittsburgh and its surrounding area grew into an important commercial and industrial center, a group of families emerged who were distinguished by their wealth and social position. Joseph Rishel studies twenty of these families to determine the degree to which they formed a coherent upper class and the extent to which they were able to maintain their status over time. His analysis shows that Pittsburgh's elite upper class succeeded in creating the institutions needed to sustain a local aristocracy and possessed the ability to adapt its accumulated advantages to social and economic changes.

More Praise

Rishel's book is an excellent, highly readable contribution to the literature on Pittsburgh and on the question of elites and social mobility.

Journal of American History

Traces the evolution of twenty of Pittsburgh's earliest families into an 'identifiable and homogeneous upper class.' Such a study adds to our understanding of the persistence of regional elites of the late revolutionary period through the nineteenth century. . . . Rishel has written a laudably readable book using quantitative analysis and, more importantly, has given us a very interesting look at the elite of a non-seaboard city.

Journal of the Early Republic
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260 Pages, 5.5 x 8.5 in.

July, 2005

isbn : 9780822958789

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about the author

Joseph F Rishel

Joseph F. Rishel is professor of history at Duquesne University.

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Joseph F Rishel