Edward A. Pierce

Edward Allen Pierce
Born	1874-08-31 Orrington, Maine, U.S.
Died	1974-12-16
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, securities broker
Known for	Stewardship of A.A. Housman & Company; E.A. Pierce & Co.

Edward Allen Pierce (August 31, 1874 – December 16, 1974) was a prominent American entrepreneur and securities broker. He is widely recognized for his stewardship of A.A. Housman & Company during the 1920s and 1930s, guiding its evolution into the largest brokerage firm in the United States. In tribute to his contributions, the company was renamed E.A. Pierce & Co., which later played a foundational role in the formation of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith.

Biography

Pierce was born in 1874 in Orrington, Maine. Although he attended Bowdoin College, he did not complete his degree; nevertheless, the institution honored him with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1956. Additionally, he was awarded a second honorary Doctor of Laws from Brown University in 1960, where he also held a position as a trustee.

In 1901, Pierce transitioned from managing a lumber business earning $100 per week to joining A.A. Housman & Company as a clerk. By 1921, he had risen to become the sole managing partner and spearheaded the firm’s growth into a premier Wall Street brokerage. The company adopted the name E.A. Pierce & Co. in 1927 to acknowledge his pivotal role. Pierce passed away in December 1974 at the age of 100, leaving behind his wife, Luella Van Hoosear, who was then 102 years old.