John Adams, a Book by David McCullough

 

John Adams
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Easton, Maryland, resident William David Hill serves as president of Caulk Management Company, a real estate acquisition, development, and management firm. Aside from his professional responsibilities in Maryland, William David Hill enjoys golfing and reading historical biographies such as John Adams by David McCullough.

Award-winning author David McCullough is known as a historical writer who immerses himself in the lives of his subjects. John Adams, originally published in 2001, traces the life of the American revolutionary and second president of the United States.

Known to his contemporaries as a passionate and vocal hero of freedom, John Adams was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. His life, achievements, and relationships are detailed in McCullough’s book.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning work inspired a seven-part HBO miniseries also entitled John Adams. Produced in 2008, the series traced the lives of John and Abigail Adams from 1770 to July 4, 1826, the day John Adams died.

Ron Chernow’s The House of Morgan – A Multigenerational Banking Saga

House of Morgan
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William David Hill is a well-established Maryland entrepreneur who has guided the creation of a premier care and retirement community in Easton. Also engaged in the hospitality industry, he has overseen the development of hotels spanning South Carolina, Maine, and Maryland. William David Hill enjoys reading in his free time and is particularly drawn to historical biographies, such as Ron Chernow’s The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance.

Published in 1990, the voluminous book tells a story that begins with the establishment of what would become a dominant force in banking by Junius Spencer Morgan in England in the 1830s. In its early decades, the firm was integral in bridging the gap between upper-class European lenders and the investment needs of a young and rapidly industrializing United States.

The founder’s son, J.P. Morgan, ushered in the 20th century by creating groups of bondholders whom he exerted control over and undertook profit-driven takeovers. This new activist form of corporate growth consolidated the firm’s hold on the world’s financial centers. Chernow’s work also explores the social dynamic of a prominent New York-centered family that amassed art collections and philanthropic capital, while holding the ear of national leaders of all stripes.