Rockefeller john d biography examples

By Ida M. Tarbell
Author of “The History of the Standard Oil Company,” “Life of Lincoln,” ETC.
Illustrated with Portraits

“A prince should earnestly endeavor to gain the reputation of kindness, clemency, piety, justice, and fidelity to his engagements. He ought to possess all these good qualities BUT STILL RETAIN SUCH POWER OVER HIMSELF AS TO DISPLAY THEIR OPPOSITES WHENEVER IT MAY BE EXPEDIENT. . . He should make it a rule, above all things, never to utter anything which does not breathe of kindness, justice, good faith, and piety; this last quality it is most important for him to appear to possess as men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes but few have the gift of penetration. Every one sees your exterior, but few can discern what you have in your heart.” — Machiavelli — The Prince. Chap. xviii.

John D. Rockefeller is without question the most conspicuous type of our present dominating commercial man. “The most important man in the world” a great and serious newspaper passionately devoted to democracy calls him, and unquestionably this is the popular measure of him. His importance lies not so much in the fact that he is the richest individual in the world, with the control of property which that entails; it lies in the fact that his wealth, and the power springing from it, appeal to the most universal and powerful passion in this country — the passion for money. John D. Rockefeller, measured by our national ambition, is the most successful man in the world — the man who has got the most of what men most want. How did he get it, the eager youth asks, and asking, strives to imitate him as nearly as ability and patience permit. Thus he has become an inspirer of American ideals, and his methods have been crystallized into a great national commercial code.

Nor is this all. Mr. Rockefeller distributes money in charity and in endowments. If not our first, he is cer

John D. Rockefeller Jr was the only son of John Davison Rockefeller (1839-1937), founder of the Standard Oil Company. A businessman, John D. Rockefeller Jr is equally well known for his philanthropy, both in the United States and Europe. His regular travels to the latter meant he was well aware of the state of dilapidation of Europe’s monuments in the wake of the First World War.

Versailles, “France’s international treasure”

The Palace of Versailles emerged weakened from the First World War . The departure of many of its employees for the front, harsh winters and the privations of wartime had changed the habits of the visiting public, who deserted it in droves. The Palace made a triumphant return to the political stage on 28 June 1919, when it welcomed the plenipotentiaries of the Allies and Germany to the Hall of Mirrors for the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Once this international event was over, however, the Palace of Versailles struggled to attract the visitor numbers it had enjoyed in previous years. Gradually, the Estate of Versailles fell into disrepair.

On 30 June 1923, John D. Rockefeller and his wife Abby attended a party organised at the Palace of Versailles to raise funds for the restoration of the Estate. The philanthropist was shocked to discover the historic royal residence in critical condition, with its statues showing the weight of the years, its parquet floors in a state of collapse, its gilding losing its lustre...

Unlike his father and the other American billionaires of the time, John D. Rockefeller had a keen interest in art and beauty. His tastes led him to France, where he developed a deep affection for the country’s heritage. In 1923, he confided to the then President of the Republic, Raymond Poincaré: “I have once again been captivated by the beauty of [France’s] art, the splendour of its architecture and the bountifulness of its parks and gardens”. Moreover, Rockefeller considered the Palace of Versailles to be internationa

John D. Rockefeller: Early Years and Family

John Davison Rockefeller, the son of a traveling salesman, was born on July 8, 1839, in Richford, New York. Industrious even as a boy, the future oil magnate earned money by raising turkeys, selling candy and doing jobs for neighbors. In 1853, the Rockefeller family moved to the Cleveland, Ohio, area, where John attended high school before briefly studied bookkeeping at a commercial college.

In 1855, at age 16, he found work as an office clerk at a Cleveland commission firm that bought, sold and shipped grain, coal and other commodities. (He considered September 26, the day he started the position and entered the business world, so significant that as an adult he commemorated this “job day” with an annual celebration.) In 1859, Rockefeller and a partner established their own commission firm. That same year, America’s first oil well was drilled in Titusville, Pennsylvania. In 1863, Rockefeller and several partners entered the booming new oil industry by investing in a Cleveland refinery.

In 1864, Rockefeller married Laura Celestia “Cettie” Spelman (1839-1915), an Ohio native whose father was a prosperous merchant, politician and abolitionist active in the Underground Railroad. (Laura Rockefeller became the namesake of Spelman College, the historically black women’s college in Atlanta, Georgia, that her husband helped finance.) The Rockefellers went on to have five children, four daughters (three of whom survived to adulthood) and one son: John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Edith Rockefeller McCormick, Elizabeth Rockefeller Strong, Alta Rockefeller Prentice and Alice Rockefeller, who died when she was 13 months

American business magnate (1839–1937)

For other people named John D. Rockefeller, see John D. Rockefeller (disambiguation).

John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest Americans of all time and one of the richest people in modern history. Rockefeller was born into a large family in Upstate New York who moved several times before eventually settling in Cleveland, Ohio. He became an assistant bookkeeper at age 16 and went into several business partnerships beginning at age 20, concentrating his business on oil refining. Rockefeller founded the Standard Oil Company in 1870. He ran it until 1897 and remained its largest shareholder. In his retirement, he focused his energy and wealth on philanthropy, especially regarding education, medicine, higher education, and modernizing the Southern United States.

Rockefeller's wealth soared as kerosene and gasoline grew in importance, and he became the richest person in the country, controlling 90% of all oil in the United States at his peak in 1900. Oil was used in lamps, and as a fuel for ships and automobiles. Standard Oil was the greatest business trust in the United States. Through use of the company's monopoly power, Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and, through corporate and technological innovations, was instrumental in both widely disseminating an