John D Rockefeller Wealth

From the years 1870-1937 John D. Rockefeller was a Captain of Industry and truly was an example of the idyllic American dream. He by his success as a Captain of Industry also set a precedent from then on about the way that other Captains of Industries made their wealth and ran their companies as well. Furthermore, John D. Rockefeller was a Captain of Industry because he built the Standard Oil Company and was a very generous philanthropist. John D. Rockefeller did generate lots of revenue and create many jobs in the United States but it also can be said that he took advantage of the less fortunate by paying them less and buying out competing businesses.

J.P. Morgan was considered by many a robber baron, and there are many reasons for this. Pierpont was the richest man in the world in the early nineteenth century, he got to that position by doing things that nowadays would be considered as shady. He owned the biggest monopolistic business ever owned, that means that

a. Support: At forbes.com last accessed in September 2013, states that Bill Gates is the wealthiest man in America and his current net worth is 72 billion and is considered to be number 6 of the most powerful people.

     True, Andrew Carnegie and John D Rockefeller may have been the most influential businessmen of the 19th century, but was the way they conducted business proper? To fully answer this question, we must look at the following: First understand how Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller changed the market of their industries. Second, look at the similarities and differences in how both men achieved domination. Third and lastly, Look at how both men treated their workers and customers in order achieve the most possible profit for their company.

John D. Rockefeller should be considered a Robber Baron. Rockefeller may be associated with a Robber baron because he used illegal tactics to create a strong oil company. The most uncertain things of all his success was how he got it. John was getting discounts from other railroad companies which made them suspicious of him. Which as you could see would be a disadvantage to other oil companies that were in competition with them. Rockefeller's competition found this practice and others he did to be funny which is why he was considered a robber baron by many people. Rockefeller owned basically the entire oil industry at the same time when he bought out the other oil businesses. Rockefeller workers barely made income, he always shortened their pay which made them stop working for him. The workers felt that if they were working hard they should get paid what they deserved. So even with him being one of the richest man alive who donated money to different business such as schools, churches and etc he used different unfair advantages to accomplish his success.

Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller were two of the early industrialists. Both of them were greedy criminals who exploited the country and its workers. Anyone who owned a large business in those days found it was possible to make more money by abusing the workers and competitors. Industrialists abused workers by forcing them to work longer hours for lower pay; they abused competitors by using predatory practices to either drive them out of business or acquire them. A business can do those things easily if it is a monopoly. Since a monopoly is the only supplier in a market, it prevents free market forces from setting prices. Price-fixing is an example: monopolies can keep the price high, because they know the buyer has no choice. In addition, monopolies can supply inferior products (which costs them less), again because the buyer has no alternative. As a result, monopolies have no incentive to improve their products or services, and the high prices cause inflation. This is bad for all consumers, because there will be no innovation. The early industrialists engaged in these monopolistic practices, sometimes in criminal ways, and that was bad for society.

John D. Rockefeller Senior is one of the most famous industrialists to date. His fame is well deserved, through decades of hard work that brought prosperity to the American petroleum industry. Rockefeller has been called philanthropist, "great man" 1 "industrial statesman…, robber baron" , thief and other titles of both pleasant and unpleasant nature. His ways of conducting business brought him fame, fortune, and a lawsuit that broke up the Standard Oil Company. Despite these questionable business practices, John D. Rockefeller and the Standard Oil Company greatly contributed to the economy, and the well-being of the United States and its people. "The life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., was marked to an exceptional degree by silence,

John D. Rockefeller started the United States’ first monopoly. Rockefeller is recorded as the seventh wealthiest person to ever live on Earth. Rockefeller used his huge amount of money to donate to many various philanthropic causes. He started his oil company in 1870 buying out many other competitors along the way. By 1882, Rockefeller had a monopoly and had control over 90% of the United States’ oil refineries.

According to Alternet.org, “The wealthiest 85 people on the planet have more money that the poorest 3.5 billion people combined. The super rich .01% of America, such as Jamie Dimon (CEO of JP Morgan) take home a whopping 6% of the national income, earning around $23 million a year. Compare that to the average

Both George Eastman and John Rockefeller also donated a plethora of money to multiple charities making them philanthropists. For instance George Eastman donated money to kids who couldn't afford dental work, and he gave away scholarships to the Massentusats Institute of technology. Also he gave scholarships to Tuskegee Institute for African AMericans who wanted to get an education. Likewise Rockefeller also donated money towards education. For instance he created the University of Chicago and the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. Both of which received over $50 million dollars from him alone. Rockefeller also founded the General Education Board which he donated another $50 million dollars to. George Eastman and John D. Rockefeller could have used their money on themselves but instead used their surplus of cash on charities. This just proves the fact that George Eastman and John D. Rockefeller were captains of industry because they were innovators and

At the mere age of 16 he went to work for a firm of farm-produce shippers. A couple of years later, he went into that business for himself. In 1862, he went into business with Samuel Andrews, the inventor of an inexpensive process for the refinement of crude petroleum. By 1870 the company had been superseded then in 1870 Rockefeller and his brother William and several associates took over the business. By the 1880’s the company was one of the largest and richest manufacturing concerns in the world. Rockefeller main concern wasn’t always business he married Laura Celestia Spelman in 1864. They had three daughters Bessie, Edith, and Alta and one son John D. Rockefeller, Jr. In 1862 Rockefeller formed the Standard Oil Trust. This, the first corporate trust, was declared an illegal monopoly and ordered dissolved by the Ohio Supreme Court in 1892. Rockefeller retired as president in 1911. Also in 1911 the company was broken into separate corporations by an antitrust decision of the U.S. Supreme Court. At the peak of Rockefeller’s personal fortune was estimated at almost 1 billion dollars. Rockefeller founded the University of Chicago in 1892. Rockefeller died at the age of 97 on May 23, 1937, in Ormond, Florida. He was buried in Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio.

John D. Rockefeller was a “robber baron” while Andrew Carnegie was a “captain of industry” in the time period of the Industrial Revolution in America. Rockefeller, like other robber barons, used questionable tactics to make a profit. However, Carnegie, as a captain of industry, helped the nation industrialize in a positive way. Both these men helped modernize America in the late 1800’s and led America to be the leader of industrialization by 1880. John D. Rockefeller was more of a robber baron than a captain of industry in our history.

Rockefeller. A picture in my history book shows a group of people watching an old Rockefeller crouch over to accept a flower from a little girl. The caption reads "John D. Rockefeller, American industrialist and philanthropist, is caught doing one of his good deeds."

The United States has come to be known as a major world superpower throughout history. One of the main parts of America that has contributed to its renowned strength has been its economy. The United State’s economy has been growing ever since it began. Credit for its strength and progress in development can be attributed to the financial geniuses of their time. John D. Rockefeller became an economical giant during his time when he changed the face of business by developing ground-breaking new strategies to ensure financial success. Rockefeller dramatically changed the business field during The Gilded Age. He did so through the use of his social Darwinistic philosophy of capitalism, inclusion of vertical and horizontal integration,

One of the first most successful business mogul, Jonny Rockefeller achieved tremendous financial success. “The New Tycoons: John D. Rockefeller” He became one of America’s first billionaire. As a capitalist his goal was to make money. He envisioned himself as one of the richest person in America. Becoming a billionaire wasn’t something that was handed to him on a silver platter. “10 People Living the American Dream” Growing up he was one of six children. His mother raised him mostly single-handedly. He held various jobs to help support his family. Eventually his brother and him ventured in the oil business and monopolized the industry.