The current Luthor family has a long history with the city of New York. Some of Lex's ancestors were with the Pilgrims who came to the New land, and other ancestors of his were among the Native Americans who met them. As the centuries went on, the Luthor family grew in prominence and wealth. Luthor's great-grandfather, Wallace Luthor, was a millionaire steel industrialist/tycoon at the beginning of the 20th century. An ardent pacifist with dreams of a united society, Wallace was distressed when America was pulled into World War I. He reluctantly agreed to sell his steel for the manufacture of allied ships and weapons. In the stock market crash of '29, Luthor lost his entire fortune and was forced to declare bankruptcy. He went to his grave a penniless old man, believing that it was divine