John Rockefeller: American Business Mogul

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John Davison Rockefeller was born on July 8th, 1839 in Richford, New York. He was the second born of six children in the family. His father, William Avery Rockefeller, was an entrepreneur of his own. He claimed to have the ability to cure patients with cancer and charged up to $25 per treatment. His mother was a very religious and well-organized woman. Growing up Rockefeller started his entrepreneurship career early by selling candy and doing jobs for his neighbors. Little did anyone know this young man would go on to be arguably the richest man ever.
In 1851 his family moved to Owego, where he attended Owego Academy. In 1853, they moved again to Cleveland, Ohio. Even without his father around, Rockefeller remained very determined and well organized. When he was just 16, Rockefeller began work as an office clerk for a firm specializing in grain and coal. Just four years later, as a 20 year old, Rockefeller wasn’t happy with his wages and established his own commission firm. In 1863, Rockefeller and his partners invested in a Cleveland oil refinery. This was the beginning of a dominant oil career for the young Rockefeller.
In 1864, Rockefeller married a woman by the name of Laura Spelman. She was born and raised in Ohio. Her father was an abolitionist and especially active in the Underground Railroad. Together they had four daughters and one son.
In 1865, the early stages of the Standard Oil Company began to unfold. Rockefeller bought out some of the partners he had previously partnered with so he could control the oil refinery. By this time their oil refinery had grown to be one of the biggest in the Cleveland area. In 1870, Rockefeller officially formed the Standard Oil Company with a few partners. However,...

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...ller set the standard for future billionaires in terms of giving back to their communities. At the same time, Rockefeller was such a business mogul that the United States had to take action to stop such actions from happening again. Rockefeller forever changed the business world and whether it was for better or worse, we will never know.

Works Cited

Chernow, Ron. "Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr." H-Net Reviews. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.
Parsons, Edward. "John Davison Rockefeller, Sr (1839 - 1937) - Find A Grave Memorial." John Davison Rockefeller, Sr. Find A Grave, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
Poole, Keith. "John D. Rockefeller, Senior." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
"John D. Rockefeller." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
"John D. and Standard Oil." A-Z Links. Bowling Green State University, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

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