James Fisk, Jr. (April 1, 1835 - January 7, 1872) was an American stockbroker, corporate executive, and a "robber barons" of the Gilded Age. He aided Daniel Drew in the Erie War against Cornelius Vanderbilt for control of the Erie Railroad. This resulted in Fisk and Jay Gould becoming members of the Erie directorate. Fisk and Gould carried financial buccaneering to extremes: their program included an open alliance with NY politician Boss Tweed, the wholesale bribery of legislatures, and the buying of judges. Their attempt to corner the gold market culminated in the fateful Black Friday of September 24, 1869. Though many investors were ruined, Fisk and Gould escaped significant financial harm. Fisk had a relationship with Josie Mansfield, but their relationship scandalized New York society. Mansfield fell in love with Fisk's business associate Edward Stiles Stokes. In a bid for money, Mansfield and Stokes tried to extort money from Fisk. Stokes confronted Fisk on January 6, 1872 in the Grand Central Hotel and shot him twice, in the arm and abdomen. Fisk died of the abdominal wound the next morning, but not before identifying Stokes as the killer. Pencil sketch by Thomas Nast, dated May 25, 1866.