TheGreatIndustrialistandPhilanthropist,JohnD.Rockefeller.

HatziaSalazar
UnitedStatesHistory5thPeriod
Mr.Munoz
May15,2016

Salazar1

Throughouthistory,therehavebeenmanyprominentAmericansintheUnitedStates
societythatprovidedsupportthatpeopleneededtomoveforwardwiththeirlivesorpassedlaws
toimprovesocietyasawhole.ManyoftheseAmericanshavebeenwellknownthroughout
history,haveleftlegaciesforfuturegenerationstofollow,havebeencelebrated,andhavebeen
inspiringtopeopleapartoftodaysgeneration,butthereisoneAmericanwhoprovidedsociety
withmanysupportwithhisvaluesthatmadeanimpactintheUnitedStates,hissuccessfuloil
companythatbecamethefirstU.Sbusinesstrust,andhisworkleadingtohisaccommodating
donationsforcharities,JohnD.Rockefeller.

Before1937,whenRockefellerpassedaway,hespenthislifebeinganamerican
industrialist,apersonwhoownsorisinvolvedinanindustrialbusiness,andphilanthropist,a
personwhohasthedesireandperformsactiveefforttohelpotherpeople.Rockefellerwasthe
founderofhisownbusiness,theStandardOilCompany,workingsincehebecameinterestedin
oilin1863,whenhewasinvestinginaCleveland,Ohio,refinerywithhisyoungerbrother
William,HenryFlaglerandagroupofothermen.TheOilCompanywassuccessfulowning
almostninetypercentofthenation'soilsupplyandbeingknownasthecompanyhavingoilto
changetheworld.Inaddition,Rockefellerwasalsoaphilanthropist.Whenheretiredfromthe
StandardOilCompany,hedonatedmorethanonehundredmilliondollarstoeducational,
scientific,andreligiouscauses.AfterRockefeller'sattainments,hepassedawayattheageof97,
leavingAmericawithanadvantageofhelpingeducational,scientific,andreligiousunitiesfor
societyintodaysworldbyusingRockefellerscontributions.

JohnD.Rockefeller'sshorttermimpactswerehisvaluesthathecarriedwithhimfrom
thebeginningtotheend.RockefellerwasbornonJuly8,1839,inRichford,NewYork.Asa
child,Rockefellersmother,ElizaDavisonRockefellerwasaveryreligiousanddisciplined
person,andpassedherqualitiesontoherson.Rockefellersoonbegantoworkandsave.Bythe
ageof12,hevaluedhiswork,andhissavingssomuchthathesavedover$50fromworkingfor
neighborsandraisingturkeysforhismother,showingthatheconsideredworkingandsavingas
apathtosuccessbecause,withoutearningmoneyorsavingit,youdonthavethatopportunityin
buyingsuppliesorsupportingyourfamily.Attheageof16in1855,Rockefellertookthenext
steplookingforworkinCleveland.Healwaysdressedveryformal,butfindingajobbecamean
issueforRockefellerbecause,atthetimebusinesswasbad,however,hewasabletofindajob
forhimselfasanassistantbookkeeperwithcommissionmerchantsandproduceshippers,Hewitt
andTuttle.Toaddon,beforeRockefellerturnedtwenty,theRockefellersfamilymovedto
Cleveland,Ohio,in1853andRockefellerformedapartnershipwithneighbor,MauriceClark,
andbothmensaved$2,000startingabusinessthatdealtwithhay,grain,meats,andothergoods.
Thebusinesswassuccessfulduringthefirstyearmakingaprofitof$4,400in1860,andaprofit

of$17,000in1861.Because,ofhisvalueinworking,allofhisworkexperienceledhimtohis
nextbigsuccessfortherestofhislife,theStandardOilCompany.

Salazar2

RockefellerspreviousworkexperiencesiswhatpreparedhimfortheStandardOil
Companythatplayedabigrolefortherestofhislifeandinsociety'slifetodaybecause,ofthe
companyssuccess.PriortowhenRockefellerfirstgotinvolvedwithoil,hewasworking,but
grewintohavinganinterestofexpandingoilproductioninPennsylvaniaintheearly1860s.He
builthisfirstoilrefineryandwithin2years,itwasthelargestrefineryinthearea.Soonerof
later,RockefellerdevotedhimselfintheoilbusinessandincorporatedtheStandardOil
Company,thatcontrollednearlyallrefineriesinCleveland.ThecompanywasownedbyJohnD.
Rockefeller,30%,hisbrotherWilliamRockefeller,13.34%,HenryFlagler,16.67%,chemist
SamuelAndrews,16.67%,StephenV.Harkness,13.34%,andOliverBurrJennings,10%.Asthe
StandardOilCompanywascontrollingallrefineries,Rockefellerpushedthepricedown,from
58centsto8cents,sothatpeoplecanaffordittotakewiththembackhome.By1882,the
StandardOiltrustwasformedgiventheideabyattorneySamuelDoddandwiththetrust,every
stockholderreceived20trustcertificatesforeveryshareofstandardoilstock.Later,therewasan
issuedeclaredbythesupremecourt.OnMay15,1911,theSupremeCourtdeclaredthatthe
StandardOilCompanyviolatedtheShermanAntitrustActandcalledtheoilcompanya
monopoly.Then,thecourt'sdecisionforcedtheStandardOilcompanytoseparateinto34
companiesspreadedthroughoutthecountry,butmanyofthecompaniessincehavesplit,merged,
orfolded.Today,thepartsoftheStandardOilCompanythatstillexistarechevron,exxonmobil,
andconocophillips.

Asidefromhisvaluesthatledhimtohisearlyworkexperienceandhissuccessfuloil
company,whenJohnD.Rockefellerretiredfromtheoilempireinthemid1890s,Rockefeller
developedalopecia,arareconditionwherehelostallhishaironhisheadandbody.Hedidnt
knowwhattodowithhimself,butatthesametimehiswealthwassobigthathedidntknow
whattodowithit.Sothenhefocusedonphilanthropicactivitiesjustlikehefirstdidwhenhe
wasachild.Hehadlotsofmoney,buthealsowantedtogivethatmoneybacktopromote
welfareofothers.FromtheStandardOilcompany,Rockefellerhadalmost$900,000,000and
wantedtogiveitaway.MostpeopletodaywouldsayRockefellerwascrazyforwantingtogive
awaythatmuchmoney,butthisgoestoshowthemthathereallyhadapassionforgivingback.
Insteadofkeepingthatforhimself,hewantedtogiveittophilanthropicunities.When
RockefellerfoundedtheGeneralEducationBoardin1903,theeducationboardhelpedestablish
highschoolsallovertheSouthbyprovidingfreeprofessionaladviceonimprovingeducation
andinstruction.Rockefellergave$50,000,000tohelpraiseacademicsalariesthatwerelowin
thewakeofWWI,gave$75,000,000totheUniversityofChicagotomakeitpossibleforthe

upstartschooltoquicklyrankamongtheworld'sleadinginstitutionsofhigherlearning,
$50,000,000totheRockefellerInstituteforMedicalResearch,andgavemillionsofmore.In
addition,hesetuptheRockefellerfoundation,Rockefellercenter,Rockefellersanitary
commissionsandothers.Withoutallthosedonations,whoknowsifthoseunitieswouldbe
standingheretoday.

AndrewCarnegiewassomeonewhoalsodidphilanthropicactivitieslikeRockefeller,but
somesayhewasbetterandgavemore.CarnegiecreatedtheCarnegieSteelCompanythatwas
knownastherevolutionizedsteelproductionintheUnitedStates.Laterinrelationto
Rockefeller,Carnegiein1901gavehisbusiness,theCarnegieSteelCompany,totheUnited
StatesSteelCorporationandearned$200,000,000,andwiththatmoneyhedecidedatage65to
helpotherslikeRockefeller.JohnD.RockefellerbuiltandoilrefineryandAndrewCarnegie
builtasteelcompany,buttheybothhelpedamericawithitsnecessitieslikelight,transportation,
railroads,etc.RecentlyamannamedDr.SteveSujuggerudwroteanarticlecomparingafew
richamericansandquoted,JohnD.Rockefellersoilfortunetodaywouldhavebeenmorethan
$300billion,sayingthatRockefellersoilrefineryreallydidchangetheworldtodayand
especiallybackthenduringhistimeperiod.Alsohestates,thenextonthelistisAndrew
Carnegie,at280billion,summarizingandcomparingwhatRockefellersworkandCarnegies
workwouldbeworthnow,butRockefellerwinsonthisonebecause,oiliswhatthecountryran
onduringhistimeperiod.Toaddon,bothmenhavesimilarbackgroundsonhowtheyeithergot
intotheoilindustryortheCarnegieSteelCompany.Theybothdonatedandcreateddifferent
institutesthatstandtodayandhavelefttheirlegacies.RockefellerbuilttheUniversityof
Chicago,andfundedmanyinstitutestohelpsocietyandfixschoolsupwhileCarnegie
establishedinstitutestohelpwithschoolsaswell.Soclearly,thereisntmuchtodiscusswhenit
comestoJohnD.RockefellerorAndrewCarnegiebecause,theyactuallysharealotofthingsin
commonthatmanypeopledontconsiderlike,bothRockefellerandCarnegiebecamewealthy
bythe20thcentury,bothgavetheirmoneyawaytopromotewelfareofothers,andtheyboth
createdinstitutesthatstandtoday,sothereisntmuchtocomparebetweenthese2rich
americans.

Overall,thegreatindustrialistandphilanthropisthimself,JohnD.Rockefellerwasa
prominentamericanbecause,heprovidedsocietywithmanysupportwithhisvaluesthatmade
animpactintheUnitedStates,hissuccessfuloilcompanythatbecamethefirstU.Sbusiness
trust,andhisworkleadingtohisaccommodatingdonationsforcharities.Withouthisoilempire,
peopleduringRockefeller'stimeperiodwouldhavesufferedmore.LikeRockefellersaid,hisoil
empiremadelightintopeople'shomeandwithoutitpeoplewouldhavebeencomplaining.
Lastly,withoutRockefeller'smillionsofdollarsdonatedtoeducational,scientific,andreligious
unities,someoftheseunitiesliketheUniversityofChicagoprobablywouldntbeheretoday.
Rockefellerquoted,thattheUniversityofChicagowasthebestinvestmentIevermade.John

D.Rockefellermademoneyasquicklyashecouldandgavethatmoneyawayasfastashe
could,buthislegacylivesonasbeingoneoftheamericanswhobuiltamericaandanoilempire
andhelpedamericaduringandaftertheprocess.