Captains of Industry Vs. Robber Barons

John Davidson Rockefeller was once the worlds richest person. He made his capital in the oil occupancy and later became a famous philanthropist. Rockefeller was natural in Richford, N. Y. When he was 14 years old, his family moved to Cleveland. Rockefeller started work as a clerk at a sm all(prenominal) produce firm. He then formed a partnership in a particle commission house. He used the profits from that to enter the oil business at 23. At that time, the production of oil and refining was a shortsighted organization. Rockefeller set out to make the industry orderly and efficient.Fifteen years later, he achieved his goal of having oil products flow from producer to consumer controlled by one ships companyThe Standard oil Company. Standard Oil, which was established in 1870, grew out of some(prenominal) oil companies owned by Rockefeller, his younger brother William, and some associates. Rockefeller also concentrated on transportation. He built tank cars and distribution sys tems. In 1882, Rockefeller organized the Standard Oil Trust. He then controlled almost all U. S. oil refining and distribution and much of the worlds oil trade.The immensity of Rockefellers holdings and in the public eye(predicate) criticism of his business methods caused the Ohio Supreme Court to dissolve the Standard Oil Trust in 1892. From 1895 to 1897, Rockefeller gradually retired from active business. By that time, he had started good-hearted activities. He helped found the University of Chicago in 1890, and by 1910 his gifts to that organization total $35 million. Rockefeller spent the rest of his life establishing the foundations through which he gave his silver to the public.