The Industry: The Four Captains Of The Industry

Carnegie was the classic rags to riches story, the penniless immigrant who made it big in the land of opportunity. Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, and migrated to America in 1848 at the age of 13. His first job was in a cotton mill, earning a measly $1.20

Although some of these criticisms are well founded, men like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller were, in fact, Captains of Industry because they employed millions and created new ways of doing business. Before all these industrialists can along, America was just another country that had little significance to the world. If it was not for them, we as a nation would not be where we are today. The industrialists prospered mainly due to their wit, and the many innovations that they brought to their various fields of business. They created monopolies because they were the most effective forms of enterprise, and there were no laws that prohibited or restricted their use. As John D. Rockefeller himself said, "I believe in the spirit of combination and cooperation when properly conducted….It helps to reduce waste, and waste is a dissipation of power."(Danzer 424) Critics say that these men ruthlessly took over their fields of business, and "did not play fair". What's wrong with striving for success? What's wrong with being efficient? What's wrong with making a product that no one can equal? What's wrong with besting your competitors? Nothing.

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.

Andrew Carnegie grew up in Dunfermline, Scotland and immigrated along with his family to the United States in the late 1800s. He worked his way up from being a poor Irish immigrant to become one of the most famous industrialists that helped transform the U.S steel industry in the late 19th century. Andrew Carnegie was a hero in many ways. One reason why Andrew Carnegie was a hero was because of his influences on renovating the American steel industry which helped create the U.S a world power. Secondly, Andrew Carnegie was a hero is because he helped create jobs that employed many Americans. Finally, Carnegie was a hero is because he was one of the most influential philanthropists.

Captains of industry were defined as the business leaders whose means of amassing a personal fortune contributed positively to the country or society in some way. Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller were considered to be captains of industry because with their profits from either their steel company or standard oil company, they give back to the society instead of themselves. They believed in the idea that people give in to you, in which you must give out as well. They established many charitable foundations that allowed them to become well known philanthropist and made them distinguishable from the rubber barons.

     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.

Andrew Carnegie was born into poverty in Scotland and immigrated to the United States with his family for the prospect of a better life. Although, in the United States, his family still struggled to make ends meet until Carnegie was offered a job at a cotton mill as a bobbin boy, changing spools of thread for 12 hours a day, six days a week for $1.20 per week. He became the primary breadwinner of his family at the age of 12. After years of working

Andrew Carnegie was born on November 25th, 1835 in Dunfermline, Scotland. His father was a hand loom weaver and Chartist. Carnegie believed in the importance of birthplace. “I was supremely so in

John Davison Rockefeller was born in Richford, New York on July 8, 1839. His family moved to Cleveland, Ohio when he was 14. As a teenager, Rockefeller did many small business jobs, getting his first office job at 16 as an assistant bookkeeper at Hewitt and Tuttle, who were merchants and produce shippers. He did well as all of his jobs, so at the age of 20, a business partner and he started working as merchants, selling meats, grains, hay, and other various things. After just one year, that company earned 450,000 dollars. Rockefeller felt there was a good opportunity in the oil business in the early 1860’s. So, he started his own oil refinery in Cleveland in 1863. By 1865, it was the largest refinery in the area.

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.

Andrew Carnegie was born on November 25, 1835, in Dunfermline, Scotland a town that sustained itself with its linen weaving industry. Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the "Age of Steel", for example, "From his companies emerged the steel to build the infrastructure (railroads, bridges, automobiles, ships ...) that would build a nation. He was a major catalyst in the transformation into the

First, John D. Rockefeller didn’t start as wealthy young boy he was poor growing up sold candy for a living and with every piece of candy he sold, he made money to support his family because he could not rely on his father because he was conman who left all the time. John D. Rockefeller started to get into the oil business he saw a lot of potential in oil, he became interponer and saw that oil could make him rich and powerful.

Rockefeller was an intelligent man who sought for better means in order to increase productivity. He used the opportunities of the time to take advantage of a free system. One of his best characteristics was that he lowered the cost of oil across the word by his largest scale production. To see that his oil was top quality at minimum cost he also hired specialist managers, this was a revolutionary concept at the time.

On November 25, 1835 William Carnegie had his first child named Andrew in Dunfermline, Scotland. Andrew Carnegie faced poverty most of his young life; this was because of the era called industrialization, which replaced the once successful hand weaver, William Carnegie with a steamed powered loom in 1847.

John D. Rockefeller was born July 8, 1839 in New York. He was a married man with a total of 5 kids with one of them dying at birth. His wife 's name was Laura S. Rockefeller and he married her in 1864. He always had a business mindset and he never strayed from hard work, he actually thrived on it. Even at a young age he started working harder than anyone in the room. This along with his natural talent for the business world made him a top competitor in any job he was willing to take on. Before Rockefeller had even had a job before he had walked around to local businesses and tried showing his potential and tried landing a job. He was turned down time after time but this did not