John D Rockefeller

I think that John Davison Rockefeller should be labeled as a Captain of Industry. Although he did at one time own a monopoly, he treated his workers fairly. He gained his wealth not by trickery, but by the creation of a small merchant business. After being named the richest man in the world, Rockefeller set out to have a new label, the greatest philanthropist of all time. Not only did he donate his money, but John D Rockefeller donated his time to teaching Sunday schools and churches. Rockefeller is famous today for his wealth and generous contribution.

Growing up, Rockefeller was born into a working class family. He experienced the hardships of at times starving, and at other times, long labor hours. Rockefeller earned his money earnestly. After realizing that own a merchant business wasn’t going to get him far, Rockefeller moved on to the oil industry. After only 10 years into the business of the Standard Oil Company, Rockefeller owned 90% of the US refineries. However, the money Rockefeller made from this did not go toward himself.

Although Rockefeller was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, he was know for joining his workers on the field, making sure that they were experiencing fair treatment. Rockefeller had experienced hardships in working conditions, and he did not want that to be passed on. Unlike Robber Barons, Rockefeller treated his workers kindly, giving them high wages and good working conditions. Rockefeller wanted all his workers to feel like family, to be together and invest in the company business.

Rockefeller achieved his goal, donating a total of $540 million, of $14 billion dollars now, to charities and churches. He believed that “it is every man’s religious duty to get all he can honestly and to give all he can.” Early in his life, Rockefeller learned to work, to save, and to give. He gave money to all sorts of places, charities, colleges, and missionaries. He gave away more money that any American had at his time. Although some people believe that he gave away money just to gain favor of people, this is not true. Instead of only donating money, he donated time and gave support to those who needed it and also to those who didn’t need it.

Rockefeller was a socially awkward person because of his status. He wanted to study people, but his business prevented him from doing so. Coming from the middle class, Rockefeller upped his to the high-upper class. His donations made him famous, along with his wise sayings. Rockefeller did knock out some of his competitors, but, in the making, he created leadership skills and fair working conditions that will last forever.

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