Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Henry Varnum Poor was a financial analyst and founder of H.V. and H.W. Poor Co, which later evolved into the financial research and analysis bellwether Standard & Poor's. Born in Andover, Maine to Silvanus and Mary Poor, he was the first of his family to attend college, graduating from Bowdoin in 1835. He joined his uncle's law firm, being called to the bar in 1838. Later Henry and his brother John established a law practice in Bangor, Maine.