History of Corporate Governance

Robert E Wright is at the Stern School of Business, New York University.

'This is a fascinating selection of primary sources of which the publishers and the editors may feel proud and which will be of topical interest to financial and business historians.' Financial History Review

• Volume 1 Company of White-Paper-Makers, The Case of the Company of White-Paper-Makers (1689); Company of White-Paper-Makers, The Proposals of the Company of White-Paper-Makers (1690); East India Company, An Essay Towards a Scheme or Model for Erecting a National East-India Joynt Stock (1691); Companies, Companies in Joynt-Stock Unnecessary and Inconvenient (1691); John Holland, A Short Discourse on the Present Temper of the Nation (1696); Bank of England, Rules, Orders, and By-Laws (1697); Company of Proprietors of the Lancaster Canal Navigation, Report of the Committee at the General Meeting of Proprietors (1799); Company of Proprietors of the Lancaster Canal Navigation, At an Adjourned General Meeting of the Company of Proprietors of the Lancaster Canal Navigation (1799); Company of Proprietors of the Lancaster Canal Navigation, At a General Meeting of the Company of Proprietors of the Lancaster Canal Navigation (1800); Samuel Hanson, To All Whom They May Concern, Stockholders as Well as Others (1801); North American Land Company, Meeting of the Stockholders of the North American Land Company (1803); Newport Bank, For the Information of the Stockholders of the Newport Bank (1803); Washington Tontine, As Many of the Stockholders Have Expressed a Wish (1805); Schuylkill Permanent Bridge Company, To the Stockholders of the Schuylkill Permanent Bridge Company (1807); Washington Mutual Assurance Company of the City of New York, The Washington Mutual Assurance Company of the City of New York: Charter, Bye-Laws, and Rates of Insurance (1809); United States Department of the Treasury, Report of the Secretary of the Treasury (1809); Louisiana Planters' Bank, Copartnership Among the Stockholders of the Louisiana Planters' Bank (1810); Bank of the United States, Proceedings of the Stockholders of the Bank of the United States (1811); Pennsylvania, Laws of the Bank of Pennsylvania (1811); Pennsylvania Union Canal Company, The Union Canal Company of Pennsylvania: Bye-Law Rules, Orders and Regulations (1811); Massachusetts, An Act to Incorporate the President, Directors, and Company of the State Bank (1811); Charleston Fire-Insurance Company, Address of the Directors of the Charleston Fire-Insurance Company to The Stockholders (1812); Lancaster and Schuylkill Bridge Company, Report of the Managers of the Lancaster and Schuylkill Bridge Company (1814); Massachusetts, An Act to Incorporate the President, Directors, and Company of the Dedham Bank (1815) Volume 2 Alexandria Library Company, A Catalogue of the Books Belonging to the Alexandria Library Company (1815); South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company, By-Laws of the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company (1828); George Taylor, Effect of Incorporated Coal Companies Upon the Anthracite Coal Trade (1833); Evan Poultney, A Brief Exposition of Matters Relating to the Bank of Maryland (1834); Reverdy Johnson, Reply to a Pamphlet Entitled 'A Brief Exposition of Matters Relating to the Bank of Maryland' (1834); Franklin Manufacturing Company, By-Laws of the Franklin Manufacturing Company of Richmond (1834); State of New York, Origin, Provisions and Effect of the Safety Fund Law of the State of New York (1834); Bank of Virginia, An Act for Incorporating the Bank of Virginia (1836); The Northanptonshire Banking Company, An Exposition of the Principles of Joint Stock Banking (1836); Union Bank of Manchester, Deed of Settlement of the Union Bank of Manchester (1836); Departments of State and Official Bodies. Bank of England, Letters on the Bank of England (1836) Volume 3 Shropshire Banking Company, The Shropshire Banking Company (1836); J Swanwick, 'Why have you Left the Bank of Manchester?' (1837); Charles Sigourney, To the Stockholders of the Phoenix Bank (1837); Preventing Abuses in Life Assurance Offices and Joint Stock Banks (1837); West Virginia Iron Mining and Manufacturing Company, Prospectus of the West Virginia Iron Mining and Manufacturing Company (1837); Halifax Gas-Light and Water Company, Report of the Committee Appointed by the Stockholders of the Gas-Light and Water Company (1840); New Hampshire, Several Acts of Incorporation and By-Laws of the Great Falls Manufacturing Company (1841); John Reid, Manual of the Scottish Stocks and British Funds (1842); Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road Company (1846) Volume 4 Packer Collegiate Institute, Act of Incorporation and Articles of Association of the Brooklyn Female Academy (1847); Phoenix Mining and Manufacturing Company, Documents Relating to the Phoenix Mining and Manufacturing Company (1847); Citizens' Bank of Louisiana Committee, Minority Report to the Stockholders of the Citizens' Bank of Louisiana (1847); Virginian, A Letter, Addressed to those Capitalists of Boston (1847); North-West Mining Company, Report to the Trustees and Stockholders (1847); Montreal Mining Company, By-Laws, Rules and Regulations, for the Management of the Affairs of the Montreal Mining Company (1847); Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Loudoun County, Virginia, The Act of Incorporation, Constitution, and By-Laws, of the Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Loudoun County ([1849] 1899); Kanawha County, Memorial of Citizens of Kanawha County (1849); New York and Boston Railroad Company, Address of the Board of Directors of the New York and Boston Railroad Company (1850); Manasses Gap Rail Road Company, Proceedings of the First Meeting of the Stockholders of the Manasses Gap R. R. Company (1850); Enterprise Mining and Manufacturing Company, The Enterprise Mining and Manufacturing Company, Chartered by the State of Virginia (1850); Virginia Fire and Marine Insurance Company, Charter and By-Laws of the Virginia Fire and Marine Insurance Company (1850); Shepherd Knapp, Letter to the Stockholders of the Mechanics' Bank (1855); Nathan Appleton, Introduction of the Power Loom and Origin of Lowell (1858); Robert Arthur Ward, Notes on Joint-Stock Companies (1865); Minnesota Electoral Reform Association, Minority Representation in Stock Companies (1874); New York Cheap Transportation Association, Arguments of the New York Cheap Transportation Association (1874); William Ravenel, Reply of William Ravenel, President of the Stono Phosphate Company of Charleston (1878); Arthur M Huger, To the Stockholders of the Stono Phosphate Company (1878) Volume 5 Franklin B Gowen, Mr Gowen's Defence. Speeches of Mr Franklin B Gowen and Others Concerning the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company (1881); Luther S Kauffman, Kauffman's Manual for Stock Companies (1882); Henry Wood, The Long-Suffering Shareholder (1889) Volume 6 William Frederick Hamilton, A Manual of Company Law for the Use of Directors And Promoters (1891)