Historical Figures Codexery

John D. Rockefeller

Oil magnate and philanthropist who founded Standard Oil and shaped modern philanthropy.

John D. Rockefeller

Published by Scientific American Compiling Dep't, New York. 1907. · via Wikipedia: John D. Rockefeller · Public domain

Rockefeller spent his last 40 years in retirement at Kykuit, New York, defining modern philanthropy.[1] By the year 1900, Standard Oil, his company, held a market share of roughly 90% of U.S. oil output.[2]

Last updated 2026-10-02 from the source article.

Quick Facts

Birth name
John Davison Rockefeller
Born
8 July 1839
Birthplace
Richford, New York, U.S.
Died
23 May 1937
Place of death
Ormond Beach, Florida, U.S.
Burial place
Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio
Occupation
Businessman
Children
  • Elizabeth
  • Alice
  • Alta
  • Edith
  • John Jr.

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

He got his first job as an assistant bookkeeper at age sixteen in Cleveland.[3] In 1859 he entered the produce commission business with partners, raising $4,000 in capital.[4] By 1865 he bought out the Clark brothers at auction and established Rockefeller & Andrews.[5] Rockefeller was a devout Baptist who taught Sunday school and served as a trustee.[6]

Standard Oil of Ohio was established on January 10, 1870, with Rockefeller as a co-founder.[6] In 1913, Rockefeller's net worth was calculated at $900 million, an amount equal to 2.3% of the U.S. GDP.[7] Throughout his entire life, Rockefeller never consumed alcohol or tobacco.[8]

What the cited sources add

The Eschner article notes that Rockefeller celebrated "job day" every September 26 to commemorate his entry into business.[9] Ida Tarbell acknowledged that "there is nothing which concerned the oil business which John Rockefeller was not on the inside of".[9] The HuffPost article states Rockefeller was the first person to amass a billion dollars.[10] That same source notes Rockefeller created the Rockefeller Foundation in 1913, which built the Peking Union Medical College in China.[11]

The Hepburn Committee investigations uncovered that Standard Oil received substantial freight rebates on all oil it transported by railroad.[12][13]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "John D. Rockefeller" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gross, "Giving It Away, Then and Now", The New York Times, July 2, 2006 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "John D. Rockefeller" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Eschner, "John D. Rockefeller Was the Richest Person To Ever Live. Period"; "Competition Is A Sin", HuffPost, July 10, 2017 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "John D. Rockefeller" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "John D. Rockefeller Biography, Facts, & Death", Encyclopedia Britannica; Chernow 1998, p. 52 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "John D. Rockefeller" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: John D., A Portrait in Oils, John. K. Winkler, The Vanguard Press, New York, June, 1929, pp. 50–56; Chernow, "Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller", Vintage, 2004, p. 69, 75, 83 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "John D. Rockefeller" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Segall 2001, p. 14 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "John D. Rockefeller" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Chernow 1998, p. 52 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "John D. Rockefeller" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gordon, "The Rich Were Different", www.forbes.com, Nov 12, 1999; New York Times, 29 September 1916.; MacDonald, "Musk Is the World’s First Trillionaire. Who Was the First Billionaire?", The New York Times, 2026-06-13 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "John D. Rockefeller" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Martin, "Encyclopedia Americana", 1999 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Eschner, "John D. Rockefeller Was the Richest Person To Ever Live. Period". facts only, no text reused. smithsonianmag.com
  10. "Competition Is A Sin", HuffPost, July 10, 2017. facts only, no text reused. huffingtonpost.co.uk
  11. "The Philanthropists: John D. Rockefeller – Tim Challies", October 13, 2013. facts only, no text reused. challies.com
  12. "Proceedings of the Special Committee on Railroads, Appointed under a resolution of the Assembly to investigate alleged abuses in the Management of Railroads chartered by the State of New York (Vol. I, 1879)", Internet A. facts only, no text reused. archive.org
  13. Wikipedia, "John D. Rockefeller" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Proceedings of the Special Committee on Railroads, Appointed under a resolution of the Assembly to investigate alleged abuses in the Management of Railroads chartered by the State of New York (Vol. I, 1879)", Internet A (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article John D. Rockefeller (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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