FREE ESSAY ON JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER: AMERICAN PHILANTHRAPIST

JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER: AMERICAN PHILANTHRAPIST

John D. Rockefeller
During the late 1800's and early 1900's the oil industry was a monopoly that was created
by one man. Some people would describe this man as a ruthless, cruel, cutthroat business
tycoon. This man was John Davison Rockefeller. John D. Rockefeller made the Standard Oil
Company, becoming America's first billionaire, and then gave away more than half his
fortune to charities. John Rockefeller was a dedicated businessman who built himself an
empire from nothing and helped others with his generous donations. His business ended up
helping smaller businesses because of the new laws and restrictions that needed to be
created in order for the U.S. government to have a handle on the Standard Oil Company.
John D. Rockefeller changed the oil industry, created and greatly contributed to many
charities in America.
Rockefeller was born on July 8, 1839 in Richford, New York (J.D.R. J.D.R. Page n.p.). He
married Laura C. Spelman (1839-1915) on September 8, 1864 (Rockefeller Family and
Associates n.p.). His mother, Eliza Davison Rockefeller, was very religious and
disciplined, she was the person who taught him to work hard, save and give to charities
(J.D.R. J.D.R. Page n.p.). Rockefeller's mother had the biggest influence on him
involving his religion and philanthropy. John D. Rockefellers father, William Avery
Rockefeller, was a pitch man or a doctor that says he can cure cancers for a fee (J.D.R.
J.D.R. Page n.p.). John and Laura Rockefeller had four girls and one boy (Rockefeller
Family and Associates n.p.). The one boy they did have, John Davison Rockefeller Jr.
(1874-1960), went on to continue his father's work and make the Rockefeller name a
well-liked one instead of one that was a bitter reminder of his father's business
techniques (Rockefeller Family and Associates n.p.). John D. Rockefeller died on May 23,
1937 in Ormond, Florida after retiring from the oil industry in 1911 (J.D.R. Encyclopedia
of World Biography Vol. 13 228).
Rockefeller attended Folsom's Commercial College for ten weeks where he studied single
and double entry bookkeeping, penmanship, commercial history, mercantile customs, banking
and exchange to help him get a job (J.D.R. J.D.R. Page n.p.). He never attended any other
type of school after attending Folsom's Commercial College.
The most important person in Rockefeller's life was his mother when he was growing up
(Bill Bell n.p.). She was the person who taught him about his religion. When Rockefeller
was twelve years old, he loaned a local farmer fifty dollars at seven percent interest,
and discovered that letting money do the work was a much better way to earn a living,
instead of working one's whole life (J.D.R. J.D.R. Page n.p.). Charging interest on his
money earned him more than he had to loan out and led him to stocks, where he always had
more of the company's stocks than anyone else. His first real job was at as an assistant
bookkeeper where he gained many responsibilities because of his hard work mentality and
honesty (J.D.R. J.D.R. Page n.p.). Since Rockefeller was poor as a child he always worked
hard to get anything. This was a very good quality that he had, and it helped him greatly
when he was looking for a job. Rockefeller's family was Baptist and so Rockefeller
himself, was a very religious man that always gave money to the church (J.D.R. J.D.R.
Page n.p.). When Rockefeller was twenty years of age, he would give ten percent of his
income to his church (Roger Draper n.p.). He even paid off the mortgage of the Euclid
Avenue Baptist Church after suffering a heart attack one day before he died (Bill Bell
n.p.). 
In his business and retired life he loved to pile up money, but also loved to give it
away to charities (Bill Bell n.p.). Rockefeller first went into business, in grains, with
Maurice Cark (1859) and soon expanded into oil refining when it was just getting going
(J.D.R. Encyclopedia of World Biography vol. 13 226). Rockefeller was involved in the
South Improvement Company Scheme in 1871, which was ...a defensive alliance of Cleveland
refiners to meet the bitter opposition of the oil producers of Pennsylvania. (J.D.R.
Encyclopedia of World Biography vol.13 227). The plan and the Refiner's pool were
outlawed by the Pennsylvania Legislature (J.D.R. Encyclopedia of World Biography vol.13
227). Rockefeller's rival, Franklin Tarbell's daughter Ida Tarbell, wrote History of the
Standard Oil Company (1904) which made Rockefeller look like a villain (Roger Draper
n.p.). That book exposed many secrets and tactics that Rockefeller used in his business
deals. After her book was released, Rockefeller's public image went down because many of
the people thought that Rockefeller was a ruthless and intimidating businessman.
Rockefeller had wanted since he was a boy to earn $100,000 and he ended up being the
first billionaire in America (Bill Bell n.p.). 
Rockefeller was involved in the oil refinery business from 1872-1911 when he retired, and
was based in Ohio and New Jersey with offices in New York (J.D.R. J.D.R. Page n.p.). In
1863 Samuel Andrews joined the firm and together Rockefeller and Andrews bought out
Maurice Clark within two years when Rockefeller and Clark had been Cleveland's largest
refinery (J.D.R. Encyclopedia of World Biography vol. 13 226). Rockefeller thought that
with Andrews as a partner he would be able to make more money and be able to reach more
customers. Rockefeller put his brother, William, in charge of a firm in New York City as
Manager of Atlantic Coast trade and export of kerosene in 1866 (J.D.R. Tycoons and
Entrepreneurs 212). He wanted to have someone that he knew and that he could trust to
work for him. Rockefeller knew that if he had employees that were trying to cheat him he
could never be as successful as he wanted to be. In 1867 Henry Flagler was brought in as
a partner (J.D.R. Tycoons and Entrepreneurs 212). Having more partners in an industry
made it stronger because one person isn't responsible for everything that happens and
there is less liability on the company. Standard Oil was founded in 1870 by Rockefeller,
William Rockefeller, Henry Flagler, Samuel Andrews, Stephen Harkness and O.B. Jennings,
but John Rockefeller had the largest share of the company at thirty percent (J.D.R.
J.D.R. Page n.p.). Rockefeller had the largest share because he was the founder of the
company and he knew how stock shares could earn him more money. By now Rockefeller was
one of America's wealthiest men and he was just getting started. By 1879 he had bought
out almost all other refineries and Standard Oil refined ninety percent of the oil in
America (J.D.R. Encyclopedia of World Biography vol. 13 227). Rockefeller wanted to make
the company successful by expanding and since Standard Oil used their own tank car fleet,
ships, docking facilities, barrel-making plants, draying services, depots, warehouses and
pipelines, it didn't have to spend much money for any outside parties to make something
(J.D.R. Encyclopedia of World Biography vol. 13 227). Rockefeller was a careful planner
and wanted to waste as little as possible. Rockefeller changed the thinking in businesses
because he was a first to own all the materials to run a large business. Soon Standard
began refining crude oil, moving westward and it began foreign markets in Europe, Asia
and Latin America and at this point it was almost a monopoly (J.D.R. Encyclopedia of
World Biography vol. 13 227). Rockefeller was becoming so powerful and around this time
many rumors about how he ran his business started to come out and he got a reputation as
being a cold-hearted money lover, which was actually pretty accurate. 
Andrew Carnegie was a John Rockefeller of steel, just not as ruthless. He and Rockefeller
made a deal in 1896 that Rockefeller wouldn't go near the steel industry if Carnegie
wouldn't go near the oil industry (J.D.R. Encyclopedia of World Biography vol. 13 227).
This insured each other that they would each have basically no competition. They would
also be able to price their products at whatever cost they wanted. When the Standard
Trust was formed it was generously valued at $70,000,000 but it was really worth
$200,000,000 (J.D.R. J.D.R. Page n.p.). Rockefeller was richer than he had ever imagined.
Around this time he began to give money to charities. Rockefeller gave away a total of
over half a billion dollars to different charities (J.D.R. Tycoons and Entrepreneurs
213). 
Rockefeller's competitors became very angered when from 1877-1878 non-Standard companies
paid $1.44 per barrel of oil and Standard paid $0.80 per barrel, which drove out his
competitors (J.D.R. J.D.R. Page n.p.). Rockefeller had such control over the oil industry
that he got oil for a much lower price than other companies making it possible for him to
be able to charge a lower price and run out his competition. Rockefeller was in the
process of creating a monopoly and being the only company refining oil. 
Rockefeller created the Sanitary Commission that helped raise an interest in public
health, especially in the south where Hookworm Disease was a problem (Rockefeller Family
and Associates n.p.). He wanted to keep the public healthy and despite what many people
thought, Rockefeller did care about other people. By the time he died he had given the
University of Chicago more than $80 million, as well as founding it (J.D.R. Encyclopedia
Britannica n.p.). Even though Rockefeller gave away most of his fortune to charities and
other causes, many people didn't like him saying he:
...schemed with railroads to get favorable shipping rates, secretly bought out some
rivals and acquired others simply to shut them down in order to rein in the supply of
oil. Whenever a competitor emerged to threaten Standard Oil, Rockefeller slashed prices
specifically to cripple the financial prospects of the upstart. (Teresa McUsic n.p.).
Most of his competitors would say these things about him in order to draw attention to
what he was doing and try to get the U.S. government to take a stand in the big
companies. Rockefeller's virtual monopoly of oil refining caused state and then Congress
to establish anti-monopoly laws to break up his control (J.D.R. Tycoons and Entrepreneurs
212). Rockefeller had a very big impact on his society mostly with the way big
corporations are run with new laws and restrictions being enforced on them. 
In 1902 Rockefeller established the General Education Board and his son John D.
Rockefeller Jr. ...planned the construction of Rockefeller Center in New York City and
donated the land upon which the United Nations building now stands. (J.D.R. and J.D.R.
Jr. Encyclopedia of World Biography vol. 13 226-228). Many companies still operate out
the buildings in Rockefeller Center including much of NBC. Using the General Education
Board Rockefeller was able to help get many schools in different parts of the country.
Rockefeller and his son also created Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in 1901,
renamed Rockefeller University in New York, and he founded the University of Chicago in
1892 (J.D.R. Tycoons and Entrepreneurs 213). These universities greatly help in the study
of the human body and finding cures for many illnesses or diseases. He also founded
Spellman College and after Standard Oil was ordered to break up, its smaller companies
eventually became Mobil Oil, Amoco, Chevron, Exxon, Chesebrough-Pond's, Pennzoil and
Union Tank Car Company (Roger Draper n.p.). Many of these companies still exist today,
which shows how great Rockefeller's empire was. Rockefeller's contributions to America
are still recognizable today. The Rockefeller Foundation was made to promote well-being
of mankind throughout the world., and the institutions that he founded are important
establishments to philanthropy, science, medicine and public health (Rockefeller Family
and Associates n.p.). Rockefeller also gave money to Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Brown,
Spellman, Bryn, Mawr, Wellesly, Vassar, YMCAs, YWCAs, Palisades Interstate Park
Commission; San Francisco Earthquake victims; Anti-Saloon League; Rockefeller parks in
Cleveland and missionary organizations (Rockefeller Family and Associates n.p.). Everyone
has used or been connected to one of the charities he donated to or one of the companies
that Rockefeller's Standard Oil split into. Rockefeller in a way shaped the American
industry and set a good example of what giving is.
John D. Rockefeller greatly changed American industry .His monopoly was the beginning of
a very corrupt time yet he was able to do some good with all the money that he earned and
help the people by funding colleges and research institutes that discovered cures for the
common people. Rockefeller became very generous with his money, becoming very involved in
philanthropy in his old age and when he died he was worth $26 million and one share of
Standard Oil valued at $43.94. Rockefeller is a good example of a rags to riches story of
someone who worked hard their whole life and never gave up on what he wanted. 
Bibliography
Bibliography
Bill, Bell. Titan, by Ron Chernow; Random ($30). (Originated from New York Daily 
News). Knight/Tribune News Service27 May 1998: p527K2422.
Byers, Paula K., ed. Encyclopedia of World Biography.18 vols. Detroit: Gale Publishing,
1998.
Draper, Roger. Titan The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. (book review). Find Articles. 5

October 1998. 3pp. 25 October 2000 .
MacMillian Profiles. Rockefeller, John D. MacMillian Profiles: Tycoons and Entrepreneurs.

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1998.211-213.
McUsic, Teresa, Biography describes hardball of monopoly building, dismantling.
(Originated 
from p527K2463. Knight Ridder Newspapers). Knight-Ridder/ Tribune News Service 
27 May 1998: p527K2463. 
Rockefeller Family and Associates. John D. Rockefeller. September 1997. Rockefeller
Archive
Center. 23 October 2000 
HYPERLINK http://www.rockefeller.edu/archive.ctr/jdrsrbio.html 
www.rockefeller.edu/archive.ctr/jdrsrbio.html
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Rockefeller, John D. Encyclopedia Britannica 1991 ed.