John D. Rockefeller

961 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay- who was john d. rockefeller

John D. Rockefeller

John Davison Rockefeller (July 8, 1839 - May 23, 1937) was the guiding force behind the creation and development of the Standard Oil Company, which grew to dominate the oil industry and became one of the first big trusts in the United States, thus engendering much controversy and opposition regarding its business practices and form of organization. Rockefeller also was one of the first major philanthropists in the U.S., establishing several important foundations and donating a total of $540 million to charitable purposes.

Rockefeller was born on farm at Richford, in Tioga County, New York, on July 8, 1839, the second of the six children of William A. and Eliza (Davison) Rockefeller. The family lived in modest circumstances. When he was a boy, the family moved to Moravia and later to Owego, New York, before going west to Ohio in 1853. The Rockefellers bought a house in Strongsville, near Cleveland, and John entered Central High School in Cleveland. While he was a student he rented a room in the city and joined the Erie Street Baptist Church, this later became the Euclid Avenue Baptist Church.

Rockefeller started to work at the age of 16 as a clerk in a small produce firm. After that he formed a partnership in a grain commission house. Cleveland was a good place to organize "something big" in the oil business. There were two major east-west railroads in Cleveland. Also, Cleveland was on Lake Erie, which was big enough for large ships to harbor. This made it possible to transport the oil easily. Rockefeller was determined to make Cleveland the center of oil business. Before he was able to accomplish this feat, he would eventually create the largest oil company in the world in Cleveland, titled "Standar...

... middle of paper ...

...he created are the Rockefeller Foundation, Rockefeller Institute, the General Education Board, and the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial. Today the Rockefeller name lives on through the institutions he founded. John D. Rockefeller started with very little, amassed a fortune, and then gave back to the country that made it possible for him to be so successful.

To sum this all up Rockefeller created extremely successful companies, he used what are now corrupt methods in some aspects of his corporation building to get to the top. The success of the Standard Oil Company is credited to the fact that its owners ran them with great authority. In this very competitive time period, many new businesses were being formed. It took talented businessmen such as Rockefeller to get ahead and keep the companies running and make the fortunes that were made during this period.

Show More
Related

  • Negative Impact Of Robber Barons

    730 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rockefeller was America’s first billionaire, and he was the true epitome of capitalism. Rockefeller was your typical rags-to-riches businessman, and at the turn of the twentieth century, while everyone else in the working class was earning ten dollars max every week, Rockefeller was earning millions. There has been much discussion as to whether Rockefeller’s success was due to being a “robber baron”, or as a “captain of industry”. By definition, a robber baron was an industrialist who exploited others in order to achieve personal wealth, however, Rockefeller’s effect on the economy and the lives of American citizens has been one of much impact, and deserves recognition. He introduced un-seen techniques that greatly modified the oil industry. During the mid-nineteenth century, there was a high demand for kerosene. In the refining process from transforming crude oil to kerosene, many wastes were produced. While others deemed the waste useless, Rockefeller turned it into income by selling them. He turned those wastes into objects that would be useful elsewhere, and in return, he amassed a large amount of wealth. He sold so much “waste” that railroad companies were desperate to be a part of his company. However, Rockefeller demanded rebates, or discounted rates, from the railroad companies, when they asked to be involved with his business. By doing so, Rockefeller was able to lower the price of oil to his customers, and pay low wages to his workers. Using these methods,

    Read More

  • The Myth of The Robber Barons by Burton W. Folsom

    527 Words  | 2 Pages

    It's said that before John D. Rockefeller died, "he gave away about $550,000,000 to charity, more than any other American before him had ever possessed" (98). His money went to schools, churches and also "paid teams of scientists who found cures for yellow fever, meningitis, and hookworm"(97).

    Read More

  • Ida Tarbell Questions And Answers

    1817 Words  | 4 Pages

    Rockefeller was the co-founder of the stand Oil Company. His wealth grew and became the world’s richest man. By the early 1880s, he dominated the oil business with his Standard Oil Company, in which he accounted thirty percent of. In the overall U.S. refineries and pipelines, his company accounted for around ninety percent. John D. Rockefeller was also a major philanthropist.

    Read More

  • John D. Rockefeller as a Robber Baron

    3611 Words  | 8 Pages

    John D. Rockefeller as a Robber Baron A "robber baron" was someone who employed any means necessary to enrich themselves at the expense of their competitors. Did John D. Rockefeller fall into that category or was he one of the "captains of industry", whose shrewd and innovative leadership brought order out of industrial chaos and generated great fortunes that enriched the public welfare through the workings of various philanthropic agencies that these leaders established? In the early 1860s Rockefeller was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, who came to epitomize both the success and excess of corporate capitalism. His company was based in northwestern Pennsylvania. A major question historians have disagreed on has been whether or not John D. Rockefeller was a so-called "robber baron".

    Read More

  • Robber Barons

    570 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many people consider Rockefeller a robber of industry because of his forcible ways of gaining his monopolies. Rockefeller was fond of buying out small and large competitors. If the competitors refused to sell they often found Rockefeller cutting the prices of his Standard Oil or in the worst cases, their factories mysteriously blowing up. Rockefeller was obsessed with controlling the oil market and used many of undesirable tactics to flush his competitors out of the market. Rockefeller was also a master of the rebate game. He was one of the most dominant controllers of the railroads. He was so good at the rebate that at some times he skillfully commanded the rail road to pay rebates to his standard oil company on the traffic of other competitors. He was able to do this because his oil traffic was so high that he could make or break a section of a railroad a railroad company by simply not running...

    Read More

  • Was Rockefeller Selfish Or Selfish

    210 Words  | 1 Pages

    Rockefeller was a Robber Baron for the simple reason that he was greedy and selfish. He has treated his workers horribly and did use his money for others. He used aggressive tactics to get to where he was.

    Read More

  • The Industrial Leaders of the 19th Century Should be Admired for their Work

    664 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...600 -$700 annually. In the same fashion as Carnegie, Rockefeller gave most of his money to profit other. It has been said that he gave a third of his fortune to charities, organizations, and universities; another third was for him, and the final third he left to his descendants.

    Read More

  • Big Businesses During The Progressive Era

    1545 Words  | 4 Pages

    John D. Rockefeller and other members of his family produced the fuel that powered America and Europe. In fact, 85% of the world's kerosene supply was produced in a company of Rockefeller's in Pennsylvania. J.P. Morgan, a giant in finance was equally successful by capitalizing small businesses and taking private corporations public. His genius for investing and financing was known world-wide. Because of Morgan and investors like him the American economy grew at a rate that the world had not seen before. His "Gentlemen's Agreement" brought stability to a railroad industry that was unstable because of it's incredible growth. The agreement regulated rates, settled disputes and imposed fines for companies that did not abide by the terms of their contracts. J.P. Morgan helped create a centralized banking system and paved the way for what was to become The Federal Reserve. Henry Ford a corporate giant in transportation built the Ford Motor Company and

    Read More

  • Grover Cleveland

    553 Words  | 2 Pages

    support the family of nine on his wages as a clerk. He earned only $4.00 a

    Read More

  • John D. Rockefeller

    1048 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ichest men in the world, monopolizing the oil industry, which played an important role in shaping the economy. In today’s oil business Rockefeller’s effect can still be seem in business strategies, values, and competitive logic. The oil business is now structured and very competitive. It also plays many important roles in the economy.

    Read More

  • Parkinsons Disease: The Cause And Symptoms Of Parkinson's Disease

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    With more than 200,000 US cases per year, Parkinson’s disease has become a major part

    Read More

  • The Controversy over Stem Cells and Parkinson's Disease

    1174 Words  | 3 Pages

    Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder that is named after "the English physician who first described it fully in 1817" (4). The disease causes disturbances in the motor functions resulting in patients having trouble moving. Other characteristics that are not always present in every patient are tremors and stiffening of limbs. All of these characteristics, of the disease are caused by "degeneration of a group of nerve cells deep within the center of the brain in an area called the substantia nigra" (5). Dopamine is the neurotransmitter for these cells to signal other nerve cells. However as the cluster of nerve cells fail to operate, the dopamine can not reach the areas of the brain that affects one's motor functions (5). On average Parkinson's patients have "less than half as much dopamine in their systems as healthy people do" (8). The problem and controversy that arises from this disease is in the cure. Researchers, for years, have been attempting to unravel the mystery of what causes Parkinson's disease and how it can be treated and or cur...

    Read More

  • The Etiology and Treatment of Parkinson Disease

    2617 Words  | 6 Pages

    Langston, J. W. "Current Theories on the Cause of Parkinson’s Disease. " Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry. 1989, suppl. ,pp. 13-i7.

    Read More

  • Parkinson's Disease Essay

    1325 Words  | 3 Pages

    Parkinson’s disease, a chronic, progressive, and neurodegenerative brain disorder affecting body movement, known to have no cure, yet has treatments that will help in managing the disease. This disease is named after James Parkinson, an English physician who described this illness. Approximately one million people in the United States are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (What is Parkinson’s, n.d.). This disease is identified to be slow in progression and symptoms of this will only worsen as time goes on. Parkinson’s is the second most common neurodegenerative disease (Simpson, Murray, & Eccles, 2010).

    Read More

  • Parkinson's Disease

    1651 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kingston, J. W. Current theories on the cause of Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psvchiatry, (l989): 13-17.

    Read More

More about John D. Rockefeller

Open Document