R. G. Dun

He began his career in Tappan & Douglass, the first mercantile agency in New York City, in 1850, becoming partner in 1854. He opened his own credit-rating firm in 1861, R. G. Dun & Company, with branches in major cities nationwide. The company was an early adopter of office machinery, including the typewriter, on which he composed the weekly “Dun's Review” to review international business condition. The firm later merged to form Dun & Bradstreet, one of the best known credit-rating and financial services publishing firms in the country.