A factor, by general definition, is a professional who acts as the authorized representative of another individual or business. It is a fiduciary relationship parallel to that of an agent or broker. Derived from the Latin noun factoris, meaning “he who does,” the term historically has been applied in a broad range of mercantile contexts. In Scotland, a factor is a person charged with managing properties and estates – sometimes where the owner is unable to or uninterested in attending to such details personally. In the antebellum South, cotton factors located in the larger cities attended to the business interests of the rural planters. It has been noted, “The factor was a versatile man of business in an agrarian society who performed many different services for the planter in addition to selling his crops.” Cotton factors frequently purchased goods for their clients and arranged for their shipment, hired workers, provided advice on market conditions, and even coordinated placement of the planter’s children in distant schools.