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The Civil War disrupted the Lehmans' business. When hostilities ended, the brothers moved north and concentrated their operations in New York, where they helped establish the Cotton Exchange.
The post-war period witnessed the rapid growth of railroads, sparking the transformation
of the nation from an agrarian to an industrial economy. At the time, Lehman Brothers' future merger partner, Kuhn, Loeb, was underwriting much of the financing for railroad construction.
Railroad bonds represented a significant advance in the development of capital markets. Their affordable price attracted a great number of individual investors and Lehman Brothers, recognizing a trend, expanded its commodities business to include the sale and trading of securities. The Firm also moved into the area of financial advisory, which provided the foundation for underwriting expertise. |