George Pullman was a self-made man of humble origin who became a very rich and famous businessman, a person who associated with the tycoons and politicians of his time. His business methods, his planned community, and his company's historical strike are the subjects of many books and articles. He is a person hard to describe, since he could be proud and humble, gregarious and taciturn, covetous and generous, amiable and ill-tempered, indifferent and sentimental. So, who was the real George M. Pullman?