Autobiography of John Rockefeller. John Davison Rockefeller - the first billionaire in history and the richest man in the world

John Davison Rockefeller ( John Davison Rockefeller). Born July 8, 1839 in Richford, New York - died May 23, 1937 in Ormond Beach, Florida. American entrepreneur, philanthropist, first dollar billionaire in the history of mankind.

Founded the company in 1870 Standard Oil and managed it until his official retirement in 1897. Standard Oil was founded in Ohio as a partnership of John Rockefeller, his brother William Rockefeller, Henry Flager, Jabez Bostwick, chemist Samuel Andrews and one non-voting partner, Stephen Harkens. As the demand for kerosene and gasoline soared, Rockefeller's wealth also increased, and he became the richest man in the world at one time, with a net worth of $1.4 billion (1937 nominal) or 1.54% of US GDP at the time of his death. Taking into account inflation The New The York Times estimates his wealth to be around $192 billion. in 2006 equivalent.

Rockefeller was one of the US philanthropists, the founder of the Rockefeller Foundation, who donated large sums to medical research, education, in particular, to the fight against yellow fever. He also founded the University of Chicago and the Rockefeller University. He was a practicing Baptist and donated part of his income to support church institutions throughout his life. He was noted as a hardworking, purposeful and devout Christian, for which his partners called him “Deacon”. He always preached healthy image life and complete cessation of alcohol and smoking. He had four daughters and one son, who inherited the management of the Rockefeller Foundation.

Rockefeller was the second child of six children in the Protestant family of William Avery Rockefeller (October 13, 1810 - May 11, 1906) and Louise Selyanto (September 12, 1813 - March 28, 1889).

He was born in Richford, New York. His father was first a lumberjack, and then a traveling merchant who called himself a “botanical doctor” and sold various elixirs and was rarely at home. According to the recollections of neighbors, John's father was considered strange person who try to avoid hard physical labor, although they have a good sense of humor. By nature, William was a risk-taker, which helped him build up the small capital that allowed him to buy land plot for $3100. However, risk-taking coexisted with foresight, so part of the capital was invested in various enterprises.

Eliza, John's mother, was a homemaker, a very devout Baptist, and often in poverty because her husband was constantly away for long periods of time and she constantly had to save on everything. She tried not to pay attention to reports of her husband's oddities and adultery.

Rockefeller recalled that his father early years told him about the enterprises in which he participated, explained the principles of business management, he wrote about his father: “He often bargained with me and bought various services from me. He taught me how to buy and sell. My father was simply “training” me to get rich!”

When John was seven years old, he began feeding turkeys for sale and earned extra money by digging potatoes for neighbors. He recorded all the results of his commercial activities in his little book.

With his first salary, Rockefeller acquires a good ledger. In it he writes down all his income and expenses, paying attention to even the smallest details. He treated this book with special awe and respect, keeping it for the rest of his life. As well as the memory of your first working day, as an understanding of your first step on the path to becoming.

He invested all the money he earned in a porcelain piggy bank, and already at the age of 13 he lent $50 to a farmer he knew at the rate of 7.5% per annum.

His father's upbringing was continued by his mother, from whom he learned hard work and discipline. Since the family was large, and William Rockefeller’s enterprises did not always end successfully, she often had to save.

At the age of 13, John went to school in Richford. In his autobiography, he wrote that it was difficult for him to study and he had to study hard to complete his lessons. Rockefeller successfully graduated from high school and entered Cleveland College, where he taught accounting and the basics of commerce, but soon came to the conclusion that three-month accounting courses and a thirst for activity would bring much more than years of college, so he left it.

In 1853, the Rockefeller family moved to Cleveland. Since John Rockefeller was one of the eldest children in the family, already at the age of 16 he went to look for work. By that time, he already knew mathematics quite well, and completed a three-month course in accounting in Cleveland. After six weeks of searching, he was hired as an assistant accountant by a small real estate and shipping company, Hewitt & Tuttle, and soon rose to the position of accountant. He quickly established himself as a competent professional, and as soon as the manager of Hewitt & Tuttle left his post, Rockefeller was immediately appointed in his place. At the same time, the salary was set at $600 dollars, while his predecessor received $2000, because of this Rockefeller left the company, and this was his only hired job in his biography.

Just at this time, the English entrepreneur John Morris Clark was looking for a partner with a capital of $2000 to create a joint business. At that time, Rockefeller had saved up $800, he borrowed the remaining amount from his father at 10% per annum, and on April 27, 1857, he became a junior partner in the Clark and Rochester company, the company traded in hay, grain, meat and other goods. During these years, the southern states announced their secession from the Union and began Civil War, the federal authorities have a need for supplies big army, and to complete large-scale food supply orders, the starting capital of $4,000 was not enough; the company needed a loan. Despite the fact that the company was young, Rockefeller managed to make a positive impression on the bank director with his sincerity, and he agreed to provide the company with a loan.

In 1864, Rockefeller married teacher Laura Celestina Spelman, whom I met while still a student. Although she was pious, she also had a practical mind. Rockefeller noted: “Without her advice, I would have remained poor.”.

In the late 1850s and early 1860s, kerosene lamps became widespread and demand for the raw material for kerosene, oil, increased. At this time, Rockefeller met the chemist Samuel Andrews, who worked on oil refining and was convinced of the promise of kerosene as a means of lighting. Rockefeller was interested in a message about an oil field discovered by Edwin Drake in 1859. Common interests rallied Andrews and Rockefeller and they, on a parity basis with Clark's company, founded a new oil processing company, Andrews and Clark. The partners established the Flats oil refinery in Cleveland. They transported oil and finished products by rail.

The Standard Oil Company was founded in 1870. Rockefeller began searching for oil; already at the beginning of his activity, he noticed that the entire oil business was organized inefficiently and chaotic, and focused on putting things in order. The first step was to create the company's charter. In order to motivate employees, Rockefeller initially decided to refuse wages, rewarding them with shares, he believed that thanks to this they would work more actively, because they would consider themselves part of the company, since their final income would depend on the success of the business.

The business began to generate income, and Rockefeller began to gradually buy up other oil companies one by one, small enterprises that were not too expensive. This strategy did not sit well with many Americans. Rockefeller negotiated with railroad companies to regulate transportation prices, so Standard Oil received more low prices than its competitors: it paid 10 cents for transporting a barrel of oil, while its competitors paid 35 cents, and the Rockefeller company also received income from a difference of 25 cents from each barrel. Competitors could not resist him; Rockefeller forced them to choose: unite with him or go bankrupt. Most of them chose to join Standard Oil in exchange for a share of shares.

By 1880, thanks to numerous small and medium-sized mergers, Rockefeller had 95% of America's oil production in his hands. After becoming a monopoly, Standard Oil raised prices and became the largest company in the world at the time. Ten years later, the Sherman Anti-Monopoly Act required the division of Standard Oil. After that Rockefeller split the business into 34 small companies and in all of them he retained a controlling stake and at the same time increased capital. Practically all major American oil companies descended from Standard Oil, including ExxonMobil, Chevron.

Standard Oil brought Rockefeller $3 million annually, he owned sixteen railroad and six steel companies, nine real estate firms, six shipping companies, nine banks and three orange groves.

Rockefeller's name became a symbol of wealth: he lived in great comfort, but did not flaunt his wealth like other millionaires on New York's 5th Avenue. He had a villa and 700-acre (283 ha) plot of land on the outskirts of Cleveland, as well as houses in New York, Florida and a personal golf course in New Jersey. But most of all he loved the Pocantico Hills villa near New York.

Rockefeller wanted to live to be a hundred years old, but did not live three years - on May 23, 1937, he died of a heart attack at the age of 97.

John Rockefeller Family:

John Rockefeller Sr.'s five grandchildren continued the tradition of philanthropy and political involvement. The most famous of them was Nelson Rockefeller, Vice President of the United States from 1974-1977. John Rockefeller Jr.'s youngest son, David Rockefeller, was the head of Manhattan Bank from 1969-1980.

They say that part of Rockefeller's success belongs to his wife. Few could compete with John in his tight-fistedness and stinginess, in his coldness and prudence. But his wife Laura Spelman was able to outdo him. They understood each other perfectly, and she gave him a lot of thoughtful, reasonable advice during his work in business. Modern researchers all say that Spelman was such a perfect character match for Rockefeller that it was amazing. They were able to live without spills for more than sixty years. (John Davison Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller; 1839 - 1937) - American entrepreneur, investor and oil tycoon. He is the first billionaire in history. He is the founder of the largest oil company, Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first American business trust. He transformed the oil industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy. The Standard Oil Company was founded in 1870, which he led until he officially retired from the company in 1897. The Standard Oil Company began as a partnership in Ohio formed by John Rockefeller, his brother William Rockefeller, Henry Flagler, Jabez Bostwick, chemist Samuel Andrews and Stephen Harkness. With the growing importance of components such as gasoline and kerosene in life, Rockefeller's wealth grew to unprecedented levels and he became richest man

John Rockefeller had four daughters and one son, John Davison Rockefeller Jr.

A main belt asteroid discovered in 1918 is named after Rockefeller: (904) Rockefellia.

John Rockefeller was born on July 8, 1839 in Richmond, New York, USA, the second of six children to William Avery Rockefeller (November 13, 1810 - May 11, 1906) and Eliza Davison (September 12, 1813 - March 28, 1889). Genealogists trace some of his ancestors to the French Huguenots who moved to Germany in the 17th century. His father initially worked as a lumberjack and then became a traveling merchant, declaring himself a homeopathic doctor and selling various kinds herbal elixirs. Local residents called the cheerful merchant "Big Bill" or "Devil Bill". He was an opponent of ordinary, traditional foundations, as a result of which he chose a wandering lifestyle and rarely met with his family. Eliza was a homemaker and a devout Baptist. She struggled to keep the family afloat as her husband did not show up for long periods. She also put up with his double life, which included flirting and bigamy. Thrifty by nature, she taught her son to be thrifty and thrifty. Young Rockefeller listened to his mother and did household chores.

Despite the absence of his father, Rockefeller was a rather serious and studious boy with good behavior as a young man. His contemporaries described him as serious, religious, methodical and cautious. He was an excellent participant in any dispute and always expressed himself accurately and clearly. He also deeply loved music and even dreamed of musical career. But still, his main advantage was his accounting skills.

While still a youth his family moved first to the village of Moravia in the state of New York, and then in 1851 to the village of Owego in the same state, where he attended Owego Academy. In 1853, the family moved to Strongville, a suburb of Cleveland. There Rockefeller studied at Central high school Cleveland and attended a ten-week business course at Folsom Institute of Commerce, where he studied accounting. In September 1855, when Rockefeller was 16 years old, he got his first job as an assistant bookkeeper at a small firm called Hewitt & Tuttle. He worked hard and, as he later recalled, “admired the methods of office work.” He was particularly adept at calculating shipping costs, which helped him later in his career. His full wages for the first three months were $50 (50 cents per day). And from his first salary, he began donating about 6% of his income to charity, which by the age of 20 increased to 10%, when he became a parishioner of the Baptist church.

In 1859, John Rockefeller first entered the commission business with partner Maurice B. Clark, with whom they earned about $4,000. Rockefeller persistently moved forward, increasing his capital every year. Following a wholesale food business, the partners built an oil refinery in 1863 in the burgeoning industrial area of ​​"The Flats" in Cleveland, Ohio. The plant was directly owned by Andrews, Clark & ​​Company, which was formed from Clark & ​​Rockefeller by the addition of the capital of Samuel Andrews and two brothers of Maurice Clark. At that time, the commercial oil business was in its infancy. And probably, even the newly made partners did not yet imagine the importance and future scale of this industry. Although, Rockefeller, with his prudence and amazing mind, probably still guessed about the coming technological and economic revolution. At that time, whale oil, used in lamps and stoves in almost every home, became too expensive, and there was an urgent need for cheaper and more accessible kerosene.

While his brother Frank fought in the Civil War, Rockefeller ran his own business and recruited recruits. He gave money to the Union, as did many Northerners who avoided the war. In February 1865, what oil historian Daniel Yeargin describes as a "critical" action occurred. John Rockefeller bought the Clark brothers' shares at auction for $72,500 and founded the firm Rockefeller & Andrews. Rockefeller himself said that “it was the day that defined my career.” He was well enlightened not to miss the chance to take advantage of the post-war prosperity and the great westward expansion resulting from the development of railways and an oil-fuelled economy. He took on debt, took profits and reinvested them, adapting to rapidly changing market conditions and setting up overseers for a rapidly expanding industry.

In 1864, John Rockefeller married Laura Celestia Spelman. They had four daughters and one son. Subsequently, Rockefeller said about his wife: “Her judgment was always better than mine. Without her good advice I would be a poor man."

Rockefeller became a lifelong member of the then new Republican Party, and a staunch supporter of Abraham Lincoln and the abolitionist wing of the party. He was a devoted member of the Erie Street Missionary Baptist Church, where he taught Sunday school, and served as custodian, clerk, and occasional usher. Religion was a guiding force throughout his life, and Rockefeller believed it was the source of his success. As he said, "God gave me the money," and he didn't apologize for it. All his life he adhered to the saying of the English preacher of the 18th century. John Wesley, who said: "Get All You Can, Save All You Can, and Give All You Can."

In 1866, his brother William Rockefeller built another oil refinery in Cleveland and entered into John's partnership. In 1867, a new partner joined the partnership and the firm was renamed Rockefeller, Andrews & Flagler. This company became the predecessor of the Standard Oil Company.

By the end of the American Civil War, the city of Cleveland was one of the five major oil refining centers in the country (besides Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York, and the area in northwestern Pennsylvania). In June 1870, he founded the Standard Oil Company in Ohio, which soon became the largest oil refiner in the state. The company also became the largest exporter of oil and kerosene in the country. In order to reduce transportation costs and be able to control freight rates, Rockefeller and his partners founded the South Improvement Company, which became part of Standard Oil. This made it possible to reduce costs for transporting products by up to 50%. All these Rockefeller moves caused a huge storm of indignation and protests from independent owners of oil wells, which was expressed in boycotts and vandalism. This entire action was supported by the New York oil company Charles Pratt and Company, headed by Charles Pratt and Henry Rogers. As a result, Rockefeller's transport company lasted only a year, but this was enough to save a lot and make a huge profit.

Undeterred or discouraged, John Rockefeller continued his onslaught on the oil market by buying up oil wells, seeking significant discounts on transportation, concluding secret deals and buying out competitors. Less than four months later in 1872, an event called the "Cleveland Conquest" or "Cleveland Massacre" occurred. Rockefeller's company absorbed 22 of its 26 competitors in Cleveland. Ultimately, even his former opponents, Pratt and Rogers, saw the futility of continuing to compete against Standard Oil. In 1874, they entered into a secret merger agreement with Standard Oil and became partners with Rockefeller. In particular, Rogers became one of key figures in the creation of the huge Rockefeller Standard Oil Trust corporation. Pratt's son, Charles Millard Pratt became General Secretary of Standard Oil. Rockefeller saw himself as the savior of industry, an “angel of mercy,” believing that by absorbing the weak he made industry stronger, more stable, more efficient, and more competitive. The company developed in all directions. This growth was expressed in the construction of new pipelines, tanker trucks, and the creation of the so-called home delivery network, not forgetting households. All these measures made it possible to keep fuel prices at a fairly low level, which contributed to the emergence of difficulties for new competitors to enter the market. New company Having decided to enter the market, it inevitably had to lower prices in order to compete with the technologically equipped and rapidly developing Rockefeller company, which would immediately lead itself to bankruptcy. Development also led to the discovery of more than 300 products based on oil refining. By the end of the 1870s, Standard Oil was already refining 90% of the oil in the United States. And John Rockefeller had already become a millionaire by that time.

In 1877, hostilities began with Standard Oil's main railroad carrier, the Pennsylvania Railroad. Rockefeller believed that the use of pipelines as an alternative transport system for transporting oil and petroleum products was more profitable for the company than rail transport. A company began to build oil pipelines. The Pennsylvania Railroad, seeing the prospect of losing its main customer and the threat of bankruptcy, struck back and founded an oil refining branch and built an oil refinery. Standard Oil was quick to make the right decision, organizing its railroad operations and thereby starting a price war that sharply reduced freight payments and caused labor unrest. Rockefeller eventually celebrated victory and the Pennsylvania Railroad sold all of its oil assets to Standard Oil. But for Rockefeller, all this hostility did not pass without a trace. In 1879, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania brought charges against Rockefeller for monopolizing the oil trade, which led to an avalanche of similar lawsuits in other regions and created the Standard Oil problem.

Gradually, Standard Oil gained almost complete control over refining oil, selling it in a horizontally integrated manner. But when selling kerosene, a vertical system was used. Kerosene was supplied directly to customers on special tank weights, thereby bypassing the existing network of wholesale intermediaries. Standard Oil's most powerful weapon against competitors was low prices and informal transportation methods. The company has been attacked by journalists and politicians throughout its existence due to its monopolistic nature, thereby giving impetus to the revival of the antitrust movement. In 1880, the New York World published an article in which the following was written about the company: “the most cruel, insolent, ruthless, and tenacious monopolist that has ever taken aim at the country.” To his critics, Rockefeller responded: "In a business as large as ours, some things are likely to be done by methods which we cannot foresee or approve of. We correct them as soon as we become aware of them."

As Standard Oil grew, its management became increasingly complex and cumbersome. In 1882, Rockefeller's lawyers created an innovative company structure by centralizing all subsidiaries into one large corporation, Standard Oil Trust. The new company became a huge corporation, the size and wealth of which attracted a lot of attention. In total, the corporation included 41 companies managed by Rockefeller and partners. The public and the press were suspicious of the newly formed legal entity, but other companies picked up the new idea and began to imitate it, further outraged by an already distrustful public. Standard Oil Trust gained an aura of invincibility, always prevailing against competitors, critics, and political enemies. The company became the largest and richest business entity that was immune to economic booms and busts, increasing its profits every year.

Extensive American Empire Standard Oil included 20,000 oil wells, 4,000 miles of pipeline, 5,000 tank trucks, and more than 100,000 employees. The Standard Oil Company reached its peak in the 1880s. Subsequently, Rockefeller abandoned his dream of controlling all the oil refining in the world and said: “We realized that public opinion would be against us if we controlled all the oil refining in the world.” In subsequent years, foreign competition and new geological explorations abroad eroded the company's dominance of the global oil market. Still, Standard Oil still held 85% of the market share, supplying oil and its derivatives from Pennsylvania wells. Meanwhile, large-scale oil development was underway in Russia and Asia. Robert Nobel established his own oil refining operation in rich, cheaper Russian fields, building the region's first oil pipeline and the world's first oil tanker. Rich oil deposits were discovered on the island of Java and Burma. Another factor in Standard Oil's downfall was the invention of the light bulb, which broke the dominance of kerosene in households. But the company adapted, developing its presence in Europe and also launching natural gas production in the United States. At that time, gasoline was still considered an unnecessary and unpromising product.

Standard Oil moved its headquarters to New York City at 26 Broadway and Rockefeller immediately became a central figure in the city's business circles. He bought his own home on 54th Street near the mansions of other tycoons such as William Vanderbilt.

In 1890, a new bill known as the Sherman Act was approved, marking the beginning of the end of the Rockefeller empire.

In the 1890s, Rockefeller expanded his company's activities into the development and transportation of iron ore, which led to an open feud with steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. Their enmity became the subject of discussion in newspaper articles and the appearance of various cartoons. Rockefeller went further, acquiring crude oil contracts in Ohio, Indiana, and West Virginia as Pennsylvania's old oil fields began to decline in importance. In addition to the frenetic expansion, Rockefeller began to think about retirement. The day-to-day management of the corporation was transferred to John Dustin Archbold.

One of the most massive information attacks on Rockefeller was associated with the publication of a book by American journalist Ida Tarbell " The History of the Standard Oil Company", in which she alleged Standard Oil's illegal practices in its operations. These practices included industrial espionage, price wars, high-handed marketing tactics, and evasion of legal cases. Although her work caused a huge backlash against the company Tarbell claimed that she was surprised by her size. She said: “I never had any animosity against their size and wealth. I only wanted them to grow and develop, but only through legal means. But they never played fair." Rockefeller, when asked questions about "Miss Tarbarrel," as he called her, would only say, "not a word about that misinformed woman." Instead, he started a media campaign to paint a picture of his corporation. V better light, although for a long time supported a policy of active silence with the press. He said: "capital and work force- wild forces that require intellectual legislation to keep them in check." In 1908 he wrote and published his memoirs.

Rockefeller remained president of the Standard Oil Company until 1911. This year, the United States Supreme Court found that the Rockefeller company violated the Sherman Antitrust Act. By then, Standard Oil controlled 70% of the market share for refining oil. The court recognized Standard Oil as a monopolist and decided to split it into 34 separate companies. Now these companies are known under such names as Mobil, Exxon, Chevron. The collapse of the corporation increased Rockefeller's fortune to $900 million.

From his very first salary, Rockefeller began donating part of his earnings to charity. As his wealth grew, so did the scope of his philanthropy. In 1884, Rockefeller financed the creation of a college for African-American women in Atlanta, Spelman College. The oldest building on the Spelman College campus is named Rockefeller Hall in his honor. Rockefeller also gave significant donations to Denison University and other Baptist colleges.

In 1900, he gave $80 million to the University of Chicago, transforming the small Baptist college into a world-class institution.

In 1903, the Education Council was created, which was involved in the development of education for all segments of the population. In keeping with the historical mission of Baptists, "black schools" were especially supported in the South. Rockefeller also provided financial support to such universities as Yale University, Harvard, Columbia University, Brown University, Bryn Mawr College, Wellesley College and Vassar College.

Although John Rockefeller was a strong proponent of homeopathy, he became one of the great benefactors of medical science. In 1901 he founded the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in New York. In 1965, the institute was renamed Rockefeller University after a decision was made to train and graduate new specialists. Since then, the university has trained many specialists in their field, among whom were 23 future Nobel laureates.

In 1913, he created the Rockefeller Foundation, to which he gave $250 million for the development of health care, medical training and the development of the arts. In 1918, the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Fund was created to support the development of the social sciences. The Foundation later merged with the Rockefeller Foundation. In total, Rockefeller donated approximately $550 million.

Rockefeller once said that in his youth he had two great aspirations in life, to earn $100,000 and to live 100 years.

John Davison Rockefeller died on May 23, 1937, at the age of 97, of a heart attack at his home in Ormond Beach, Florida, just shy of 100 years old. He is buried in Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.

A symbol of the American dream, a multimillionaire who earned fabulous wealth, Rockefeller was a very mysterious and controversial figure. Unmercenary and philanthropist, at the same time a cunning and cruel businessman, whose name was used by the wives of ordinary hard workers to frighten their children. The article introduces the reader to the fascinating life path of John Rockefeller.

Childhood

In the summer of 1939, little John Rockefeller was born into a working-class Protestant-Baptist farming family. The family was large and poor. The constant lack of money forced me to save on everything. John's mother devoted more time to raising the children, who instilled in them religiosity and hard work.

The father of the Rockefeller family moved from forestry to sales. Working as a traveling salesman allowed him to earn more. So entrepreneurship became their family craft. Lessons and conversations with his father helped John develop a commercial mindset from an early age.

John Davidson Rockefeller began to show entrepreneurial talents at the age of five. He resold the purchased candies with a small markup per handful. He was engaged in raising turkeys, from the sale of which he earned fifty dollars. Then he invested it profitably: he lent it to a neighbor at interest. Rockefeller developed the habit of keeping track of his income and expenses as a child.

John Rockefeller was distinguished from his peers by his calm character, leisurely and sometimes absent-mindedness. According to the recollections of one of the adults, “he was a very quiet and thoughtful boy.” Behind the external slowness hid a good reaction, excellent memory and composure. Their strong qualities he demonstrated more than once during games. In checkers battles, he often won victories, keeping his opponent in suspense and exhausting him throughout the game.

Youth

In the eyes of those around him, Rockefeller John Davison looked like a strange teenager: a thin face with thin lips and impassive eyes, the look of which not everyone could withstand when communicating. Rockefeller’s lack of emotion, dispassion and firmness of character always frightened people, for which his competitors later nicknamed him “the devil.” Beneath the stern exterior was a kind-hearted and sensitive man.

Having already become rich, John Rockefeller once heard about the difficult fate of his former classmate, whom he once really liked. To help a widowed and poor woman, he provided her with a pension from his income.

John Davidson Rockefeller went to school late, at age 13, but did not graduate from school or college. Lack of degrees has never been a barrier for many millionaires. His only education was accounting courses. The training took three months, after which the 16-year-old teenager went in search of work in Cleveland, where his family had moved. He joined Hewitt and Tuttle as a clerk. The company, which was engaged in the sale of real estate and transportation, turned out to be a good place to work for hire, but the first and last for John.

An economic mindset and innate responsibility helped the young clerk rise to the rank of accountant within two years. Rockefeller John Davison reacted outwardly calmly to the $8 increase in wages, but deep down he believed that this was an inflated and undeserved salary. Then he bought a diary and began to track his finances. The notebook was with him throughout his life and became one of the symbols of his success.

Independence and first business

Businessman Maurice Clark invited 18-year-old Rockefeller to the business. To become an equal partner, John Davidson Rockefeller invested his savings and borrowed money. The new company sold hay, grain, meat and a variety of goods. The civil war that broke out in the United States in 1861 required constant supplies of provisions to the warring parties. After receiving the loan, the scope of activity of the Clark and Rockefeller trading company was expanded. Supplies of flour, meat and other goods continued in large volumes.

John D. Rockefeller met the end of the war at the epicenter of the oil rush. The deposit was discovered near Cleveland. Active distillation of oil became part of the business partners' activities in 1863, when the plant was built. After two years, John offered Maurice to buy out his share for 72 thousand dollars, since he wanted to do only the oil business. So he became the sole owner of the well.

The fateful meeting for Rockefeller and the appearance of a new ally, S. Andrews, a chemist, contributed to a reorientation from oil production to sales. An oil company based on John's experience and rules, long years increased income.

From pawns to market kings

The year 1870 saw the opening of Rockefeller's oil company, Standard Oil, outpacing its competitors. Together with friend and business partner Henry Flagler, John Rockefeller bought out numerous single oil refining and production firms to form a trust.

Competitors were left with no choice: join the trust or go bankrupt. At the same time, John did not disdain dirty methods, such as unfair competition and industrial espionage. Rockefeller had many tricks in his arsenal. The use of front companies, which were actually part of Standard Oil, made it possible to enter the local market of a competitor and cause a sharp drop in prices, forcing it to conduct unprofitable activities and go bankrupt. In addition, such opportunities made it possible to “slow down” oil supplies to an unwilling refiner. John acquired bankrupt companies for next to nothing.

Rockefeller concluded contracts with all suppliers, bought oil in huge volumes, leaving other companies without raw materials. It is noteworthy that many oil entrepreneurs did not know that the neighboring companies putting pressure on them were part of Standard Oil, since the strictest secrecy was observed. In 1879, the trust took control of 90% of the oil market.

Spy Games

During the “war” to control the market, Standard Oil collected information using a network of agents. Fake employees came to work at competing enterprises, collected data for months, and looked for the “weak spots” of the business. Rockefeller met with his spies in different time, prepared dossiers on oil managers. The schedule was planned in a special way: partners, competitors and other visitors did not overlap. Encrypted telegrams flew between the agents and the head office.

Data on the main firms of competitors and all buyers of petroleum products in the United States flocked to large archive. Part of the file cabinet included even small firms, grocers, who purchased kerosene for heating from the Rockefeller company.

Only the pedantic John Rockefeller could have planned and waged such an aggressive war, whose biography contains the following fact: when he was informed of complete victory over his competitors, the millionaire was not at all surprised, because he considered success inevitable.

Antimonopoly law

Knowledge of accounting greatly helped the newly-made millionaire, who tracked almost every barrel. When 95% of the market gathered under the auspices of Rockefeller, he raised prices for petroleum products and received gigantic dividends. All this would come to an end with the adoption of antitrust legislation.

The Sherman Anti-Trust Act was passed in 1890 and monopolies were supposed to become a thing of the past. But John successfully bypassed him for more than twenty years. After 1911, the Standard Oil empire had to be divided into 34 enterprises, in each of which he retained a share. Some of them are still operating successfully in the USA. Thus, the Rockefeller trust became the founder of all major oil production corporations in America.

In addition to oil, the billionaire had logistics, banking and agricultural businesses. But in his old age, after 1897, he transferred control to his partners and became involved in charity and other activities.

Rockefeller - philanthropist

The story of John Rockefeller is truly unique. His fabulous profits accounted for more than 2% of the US gross domestic product, but even more amazing was his generosity. Donations towards the end of it life path amounted to more than half a billion dollars. Everyone has long forgotten about his former glory as a treacherous businessman; he became known as a philanthropist.

John Rockefeller's rules of life included mandatory assistance to the church. Being a pious man, he believed that good deeds should be done quietly. Throughout his life, he donated 10% of his income to the Baptist community. During 1905, the church received from him at least one hundred million dollars.

In 1982, John helped found the University of Chicago, to which he allocated 80 million. Three years later, the New York Rockefeller Institute of Medicine was opened. In addition, the billionaire owes its existence to the Museum of Modern Art, the General Council for Education, several monasteries and a Charitable Foundation. Those in need still receive assistance transferred from companies through the Rockefeller Foundation.

Billionaire Family

Rockefeller met his wife in his youth. Laura Celestina Spelman was a teacher. The pious and practical girl reminded Rockefeller of his mother in many ways. The wedding took place in 1864. She became his friend for many years and an assistant in difficult moments of his life. The billionaire always highly valued his wife's advice. “Without her instructions, I would have remained poor,” John Rockefeller used to say. The memoirs do not tell what kind of poverty he had in mind, material or spiritual.

Rockefeller was a strict and fair father. Children were brought up in work, order and modesty. Like other kids, they were rewarded for good deeds and punished for bad ones. For example, after cleaning the garden, you were allowed to take a walk, and if you were late you could lose candy. On the plot, each child had his own bed, where they had to weed.

In order to instill in children the desire to work and earn money, Rockefeller introduced small monetary incentives and fines for them. The kids could receive a reward for almost anything: working in the garden, helping their parents, playing music, or abstaining from sweets.

Rockefeller John Davison Jr. took over his father's business in 1917 and managed to leave a significant mark on history. He inherited almost 0.5 billion dollars. John Rockefeller Jr. spent the resulting capital wisely. He allocated a significant amount for charitable purposes. He invested in the communications industry, on the construction of the Rockefeller Center, and spent up to 10 million free of charge on the construction of the UN headquarters. If it were not for this donation, the UN building in New York might not have appeared. The remaining six children received 250 million from their father. The construction of the famous Empire State Building was also carried out by Rockefeller John Davison Jr.

How much did Rockefeller earn?

By 1917, the income of the Rockefeller empire amounted to a billion dollars. Taking into account inflation and the realities of today, such profits would amount to hundreds of billions; so far no one has surpassed John.

He came to the end of his life with shares in each subsidiary of Standard Oil. There were more than thirty of them, and the total volume they occupied in oil sales in America reached 80%. Back in 1903, the oil concern consisted of 400 companies, 90,000 pipeline miles, 10,000 tank cars for railway transportation, and tankers and steamships numbered in the dozens!

John himself owned 16 railway companies, 6 metallurgical companies, 9 financial institutions, 6 shipping companies, 9 real estate firms and 3 orange orchards. In addition, he was the owner of villas, land and several houses, even a personal golf course. Enormous wealth created opportunities for lobbying his interests in political circles, which John Rockefeller skillfully used. The biography of the millionaire contains the fact: he always knew how to establish connections and good relationships not only with ordinary people, but also with politicians and senior officials. Rumors that Rockefeller manipulated the White House and the US Treasury followed him for years.

Secret of success

Success in life depends on many factors. Rockefeller had the toughness, acumen necessary for an entrepreneur, determination, hard work and self-confidence. But the real guiding star in life for him was the family, faith and religious values ​​that his mother raised in him. They helped John survive in the brutal oil business with its uncontrolled rampant crime: explosions, blackmail and robbery. Thanks to the unpretentiousness of a believer, Rockefeller knew how to save and always had funds for business investments.

He was not as proud of his fabulous wealth as he was of his honesty and moral values. The paradox is that the billionaire was cruel and ruthless towards his competitors. It was John Rockefeller who always knew how to knock out an opponent. Books can tell the story of how he set up a clash between transport corporations in order to, as a result of a profitable deal, reduce the cost of oil transportation by up to 1.5 times.

Rockefeller's sharp mind and mentality helped him achieve success. He owns such sayings as:

• “If you work all day, you don't have time to get rich.”
• “Earn a reputation and it will work for you.”
• “Success depends on the decisions of the individual himself.”
• “Philanthropy is beneficial if it helps you become independent.”
• “The ability to win people over is a commodity that I am willing to purchase at a price higher than anything else in the world.”

John Davison Rockefeller was born on July 8, 1839 in New York. When he was very young, the family moved to Pennsylvania. John D.'s mother raised him in the fear of God and in strict Baptist laws.

The father was an entrepreneur. Not always successful, but able to combine frequent risk with accumulation. There is an opinion that the ostentatious chic and egocentrism of the parent forced John Davison to avoid such an image in every possible way and strive for. Often the family lived in debt, which made John D. ashamed of his father (again according to some researchers). But there is also evidence from the future billionaire himself, which suggests that his father played a decisive positive role in John’s life:

He often bargained with me and bought various services from me. He taught me how to buy and sell. My father was just training me to get rich!

Rockefeller Sr. did not like physical labor and tried to earn money with his mind.

The father told his son about his business, explained the principles, and although he himself was not the most successful in business, his son managed to learn a lot from an early age. For example, judging by the young man’s subsequent career, he learned that morality and fairness in business are very relative concepts, and if there is a goal, then much can be sacrificed for the sake of it.

Studying at school was difficult for him, but hard work covered all the shortcomings.

Growing up in a religious family (according to ) made John Davison a teetotaler who avoided gambling and dancing. Being the eldest child, he had to become the family breadwinner in his youth. The first job that John D. got was as an accounting assistant (before that, the boy worked part-time by feeding turkeys and working on a farm).

To get this job, John dropped out of college and took a three-month accounting course. This was his only paid job.

Having borrowed money from his father (at 10%), Rockefeller became a junior partner in an agricultural company, which he led to the business of refining oil into kerosene (which was becoming a very popular means for lighting lamps).

Creation of Standard Oil

John D.'s silence inspired the government to legalize the monopoly issue and dismember the Rockefeller empire. Despite this, John Davison's financial assets only increased from this: having divided Standard Oil into 34 small companies at the request of the authorities, he retained a controlling stake in all of them. Interestingly, most of the modern ones are descended from these 34 pieces of Standard Oil, such as ExxonMobil, .

Theodore Roosevelt launched a whole series trials against Standard Oil, which he relied on, which was allowed, in Rockefeller style, to buy up metallurgical plants to create a monopoly for United States Steel.

Richest man

To this day, John D. is considered the richest man on the planet and the most generous philanthropist (he paid for medical research; Chicago and Rockefeller Universities were founded with his money). Back in 1917, Rockefeller's capital was 20% more than the annual US budget. No businessman has ever achieved such heights. He sponsored the construction of the UN headquarters in New York, which determined the enormous influence of the United States on this organization.

D. Rockefeller died at the age of 97. His family (clan) is still considered one of the most influential in the world.

John Davison Rockefeller is an American entrepreneur who made his fortune by starting from scratch. He founded the Standard Oil company, which took a leading position in the American economy and made its founder the richest man in the world.

Rockefeller was born on July 8, 1839, in Richford, New York, and when he was 16 years old, he and his family moved to Cleveland. He was not afraid of hard work, and, as a teenager at the age of 16, he looked for work in various small companies. His first job was as an accounting assistant at Hewitt & Tuttle, a small wholesale trade(bought goods for sale on a commission) and sold vegetables for export.

At the age of 20, Rockefeller, who was successful in his job, decided to start a business with another business partner, wholesalers of hay, meat and other goods. At the end of the first year of operation of his company, its gross profits totaled $450,000. Rockefeller was very careful and thoughtful, trying in every possible way to avoid unnecessary risks, but in the early 1860s he noticed that there was an opportunity to open an oil business due to increasing demand for oil. And in 1863 he opened his first oil refinery near Cleveland. Less than 10 years later, Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil, had almost complete control of all the country's oil refineries.

Standard Oil

As the oil business moved east toward Pennsylvania, Rockefeller followed. By the beginning of the 1880s. he dominated the oil business throughout the country, and his company had a net worth of $55 million. Standard's leadership position was due to the fact that it was closely associated with (or owned) almost every aspect of the business. Under Rockefeller's leadership, the company created its own pipeline system to transport products. She had her own carriages for transportation, and she also bought thousands of hectares of forest for fuel.

In 1882, Rockefeller founded the Standard Oil Trust, a trust company that would serve as a model for the creation of other types of monopolies. Naturally, Rockefeller was appointed head of this company.
But while Rockefeller's power and wealth grew, his public reputation deteriorated. In the early 1800s, the government began enforcing antitrust laws, paving the way for the Sherman Act, which went into effect in 1890.

In 1895, 56-year-old Rockefeller retired from daily involvement in the affairs of the Standard Oil company and focused on charitable activities. But the new leadership could do little to quell attacks on Rockefeller and his business.

In 1904, Ida Tarbell wrote The History of Standard Oil, a damning book that told the story of Standard Oil's ruthless business practices. In 1911, the corporation was disbanded under the influence of the Sherman Anti-Monopoly Act.

Subsequent years

John Davison Rockefeller contributed a lot of money to charity. In total, he donated $530 million. different directions. His money helped found the University of Chicago, also known as the Rockefeller Institute of Medicine (later The Rockefeller University) in New York, and the Rockefeller Foundation.

His wife Laura and Rockefeller had five children, including their daughter Alice, who died in infancy.
Rockefeller died May 23, 1937, Ormond Beach, Florida. However, his legacy lives on to this day: Rockefeller is considered one of America's leading businessmen, whose achievements influenced the formation of the nation as it is today.