What was there before there were banks?? I am finding Geo George that is in a form of banking where it is talking about buying Mortgages. Geo George had the farm from 1854 for 10 years which would be 1864 What is a capitalists Someone who hopes to profit by investing money or financing business ventures is a capitalist . A nation's economy is described as capitalist if it's based on private ownership and profit. The word capitalist appeared in 1791, taken from the French word capitaliste . A capitalist is someone who believes in the economic philosophy of Capitalism, a system of privately-owned, for-profit businesses. A capitalist might believe in free enterprise and the individual’s ability to gain wealth through intelligence and hard work. Capitalist can also be used to describe a self-interested, every-man-for-himself approach to the world.