Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was actually Scottish, born on November 25, 1835 in a Dunfermline weavers cottage. Carnegie came over to the US as a boy, where he got a job as a steel factory worker.
In 1892, the Carnegie Steel Company was created in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company grew and, after Carnegie sold it in 1901, later merged with US Steel, a corporate giant that is still active today.
Andrew Carnegie was at one point so wealthy, his fortune represented 0.6% of the entire US GDP.
Carnegie published a famous essay, The Gospel of Wealth, in 1889, which appeared in the North American Review and in Britain in the Pall Mall Gazette. In it he set out his belief that a successful businessman should devote the first part of his life to accumulating wealth and the second to distributing it as, “a man who dies rich, dies disgraced”. By bettering the life of his less fortunate fellowman whilst on earth he will be rewarded when he dies at the gates of paradise.
Carnegie fulfilled this ideal with astounding generosity, giving much of his fortune to schools, libraries and universities before his death at 83. In particular he funded the establishment of a number of public libraries throughout the United States as he believed this would give people the opportunity to better themselves.
Carnegie funded the construction of almost 1700 public libraries across the country, and over 800 abroad, for any town that would agree to set aside the land, and 10% of the construction cost annually to maintain it.
By the time of his death, Carnegie had already given away roughly 90% of his wealth. The total money donated by him would equate to ~$65,000,000,000 in today's currency.
He gave away $288 million ($4.22 billion today) to American charities alone.
Though Carnegie believed philanthropy was a moral imperative, personally he was a religious sceptic and an evolutionist. The philanthropist believed that society was progressing beyond the need for wars towards a time of universal peace, spiritual idealism and prosperity for all.
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| Carnegie as he appears in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. |
Andrew Carnegie was at one point so wealthy, his fortune represented 0.6% of the entire US GDP.
Carnegie published a famous essay, The Gospel of Wealth, in 1889, which appeared in the North American Review and in Britain in the Pall Mall Gazette. In it he set out his belief that a successful businessman should devote the first part of his life to accumulating wealth and the second to distributing it as, “a man who dies rich, dies disgraced”. By bettering the life of his less fortunate fellowman whilst on earth he will be rewarded when he dies at the gates of paradise.
Carnegie fulfilled this ideal with astounding generosity, giving much of his fortune to schools, libraries and universities before his death at 83. In particular he funded the establishment of a number of public libraries throughout the United States as he believed this would give people the opportunity to better themselves.
Carnegie funded the construction of almost 1700 public libraries across the country, and over 800 abroad, for any town that would agree to set aside the land, and 10% of the construction cost annually to maintain it.
By the time of his death, Carnegie had already given away roughly 90% of his wealth. The total money donated by him would equate to ~$65,000,000,000 in today's currency.
He gave away $288 million ($4.22 billion today) to American charities alone.
Though Carnegie believed philanthropy was a moral imperative, personally he was a religious sceptic and an evolutionist. The philanthropist believed that society was progressing beyond the need for wars towards a time of universal peace, spiritual idealism and prosperity for all.
Built by Andrew Carnegie, New York City's Carnegie Hall opened its doors with a bang on May 5, 1891. The inaugural concert was conducted by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, setting the stage for Carnegie Hall's prestigious future.
The pronunciation of Carnegie differs slightly between the man's name and the hall's name. The former is pronounced with a "カーネギー" (Kārnégī) sound, while the latter is pronounced "カーネギー" (CArnegೀ).
Andrew Carnegie exchanged gag Christmas gifts with fellow billionaire entrepreneur John D. Rockefeller, Rockefeller once sent Carnegie a cardboard vest to make fun of his poor childhood. In return Carnegie sent a fine whiskey to Rockefeller, a devout baptist who had given up drinking.
Despite being of the richest Americans ever, Carnegie never carried any cash. He was once put off a London train because he did not have the fare.
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