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Edwin Lefèvre

Edwin Lefèvre (1871–1943) was an American journalist, writer, and statesman most noted for his writings on Wall Street.

George Edwin Henry Lefèvre was born in Colón, Colombia (now Republic of Panama). His father had sent Edwin to the United States when he was a boy and he was educated at Lehigh University where he received training as a mining engineer. However, at the age of nineteen, he began his career as a journalist and eventually became a stockbroker, as well.

During the 1909–1913 presidency of William Howard Taft, Lefèvre served as ambassador to a number of countries including Italy, Spain, and France. Lefevre did work as a broker on Wall Street and was the financial writer for the New York Sun newspaper. He later returned to his home in Vermont where he resumed his literary work, providing short stories for magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post and writing novels.


“It never was my thinking that made the big money for me. It always was my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight! It is no trick at all to be right on the market. You always find lots of early bulls in bull markets and early bears in bear markets. I've known many men who were right at exactly the right time, and began buying or selling stocks when prices were at the very level which should show the greatest profit. And their experience invariably matched mine--that is, they made no real money out of it. Men who can both be right and sit tight are uncommon.”
Edwin Lefèvre
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