Charles E. Hoffhaus typescript

Collection — Container: 1

Identifier: MS-0612

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The typescript of "Inside the Mississipi Bubble" written in 1992 details the world's first stock market crash in Mississippi in 1720. This typescript was written by Charles E. Hoffhaus in 1992 and there is no record of it ever being published. It includes a title page, table of contents, list of illustrations (but not the illustrations), jacket blurbs, acknowledgements, introduction and chapters one through 12. Some chapters have duplicates (2 - 5) and others have been re-written at the end of the book. According to the author, this narrative has an "upbeat Wall Street Journal reportage style" and focuses on a different perspective on the known facts of the "Mississippi Bubble". It is "not another boring biography of John Law," but a "tale of many cities," with emphasis on the American aspect of this episode. The author also discusses similarities with the crashes of 1929 and 1987 and the possibility of a new economic crisis in the future.

Dates

Creation: 1992

Creator

Hoffhaus, Charles E. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is housed off-site and requires 48-hours' notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.

Collection is open for use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions. It is not necessary to seek our permission as the owner of the physical work to publish or otherwise use public domain materials that we have made available for use, unless Johns Hopkins University holds the copyright.

Biographical Note

Charles E. Hoffhaus attended the University of Kansas, where he received a degree in political science and Yale Law School. During World War II the author served as a Navy Petty Officer, 3rd Class for a year. Later, he became an attorney with the firm of Hillix, Brewers, Hoffhaus, Whittaker, and Horner in Kansas City; and a founding member of the Chouteau Society, a group dedicated to marking sites of French history in the Kansas City area. Hoffhaus was historian of French colonial mid-America, including the book "Chez Les Canses: Three Centuries at Kawsmouth" (1984), and many articles such as "Lewis and Clarks French Passport: A Prequel to the Corps of Discovery" (2004), published in the Journal of the Jackson County Historical Society.

Historical Note

Scottish economist John Law had developed the use of paper money for the French Banque Générale (1716) and conceived a joint stock trading company in the French colonies of North America (The Mississippi Company) with monopoly of commerce on all the seas. As the bank began issuing more notes than it could represent in coinage, there was an economic inflation, which led to the collapse of the Banque Générale and subsequent devaluing of The Mississippi Company's shares.

Extent

.19 Cubic Feet (1 letter half-size document box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Charles E. Hoffhaus was an American author. The typescript of "Inside the Mississipi Bubble" written in 1992 details the world's first stock market crash in Mississippi in 1720.