"The Financier: A Novel" by Theodore Dreiser is a novel published in 1912. Based on real-life streetcar tycoon Charles Yerkes, it follows Frank Cowperwood's rise in Philadelphia's financial world. Starting with a profitable soap deal as a young man, Cowperwood climbs to wealth through investment and manipulation of municipal funds. When the Great Chicago Fire triggers a stock market crash in 1871, his corrupt dealings are exposed. As politicians use him as a scapegoat, Cowperwood faces bankruptcy and imprisonment while conducting an affair with his business partner's daughter.