Pursuits
Placed on the Board at Age 20, Son of Raymond James Founder Is Now a Billionaire
He sold his coin collection to keep the company alive during lean times
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Thomas James was an aspiring venture capitalist fresh out of Harvard Business School when his father chose him in 1970 to run the brokerage firm he’d started in St. Petersburg, Florida, eight years earlier.
James was already linked to the business. When he was 20 he served on the original board, attending meetings held in the family’s living room.