John Davison Rockefeller was born in Richford, New York on July 8, 1839.
His father William Avery "Bill" Rockefeller was a traveling salesman who identified himself as a "botanic physician" who sold elixirs and intentionally lent money to impoverished farmers to take their land. He was a sworn foe of conventional morality who preferred a vagabond existence and returned to his family infrequently.
Rockefeller got his first job when he was sixteen as an assistant bookkeeper working for a small produce commission firm called Hewitt & Tuttle. Making 50 cents a day, the full salary for his first three months' work was $50 (equivalent to $1 thousand in 2016 dollars). His dream as a kid was to make $100,000.
Rockefeller went into the produce commission business with a partner, Maurice B. Clark in 1859, and they raised $4,000 ($106,622 in 2016 dollars) in capital. Rockefeller went steadily ahead in business from there, making money each year of his career.
During the Civil War, John D Rockefeller paid another man to join the Union Army in his place. Rockefeller's commission business in Cleveland, Ohio was flourishing and felt he was more valuable to the war effort by providing employment for people who were involved with supplying food and grain to the military.
In 1866, William Rockefeller Jr., John's brother, built a refinery in Cleveland and brought John into the partnership. Within a couple of years, John D, Rockefeller's practice of borrowing and reinvesting profits, controlling costs, and using refineries' waste, resulted in the company owning two Cleveland refineries and a marketing subsidiary in New York, making it the largest oil refinery in the world.
Rockefeller founded Standard Oil in 1870, capitalizing on a time when there was a soaring demand for kerosene and gasoline.
John D Rockefeller dominated the petroleum industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, at his peak controlling 90 per cent of all oil in the U.S.
The famous New Yorker brought on a new era of wealth in America, when he nearly monopolized the oil industry in the late 1800s. Rockefeller became so wealthy that he left his company in 1897 and spent the last 40 years of his life retired.
In 1864, Rockefeller married Laura Celestia "Cettie" Spelman (1839–1915), daughter of Harvey Buell Spelman and Lucy Henry. They had four daughters and one son together.
Following her wedding, Spelman joined Rockefeller's congregation, the Northern Baptists where she remained active. Once the family business, Standard Oil, began to take off, she further devoted her time to philanthropy and her children.
A devout Northern Baptist, he was a faithful congregant of the Erie Street Baptist Mission Church.
Rockefeller would read the Bible daily, attend prayer meetings twice a week and even led his own Bible study with his wife.
Rockefeller adhered to total abstinence from alcohol and tobacco throughout his life.
Rockefeller spent his retirement at Kykuit, the Rockefeller Family Home in Westchester County, New York. It has been home to four generations of the Rockefeller family.
Rockefeller is widely considered the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history. He amassed his fortune from the Standard Oil company, of which he was a founder, chairman and major shareholder.
Despite his immense wealth, John D. Rockefeller always took the train from his mansion to his downtown New York office every day. He was often harassed by beggars and other passengers, but refused to travel with bodyguards or use private transportation.
In 1913 John Rockefeller owned 2% of the US GDP, an amount that today would be worth over $409 billion and make him three times richer than Jeff Bezos.
On September 29, 1916, Rockefeller became the first ever billionaire when he reached a nominal personal fortune of US$1 billion.
By the time of his death in 1937, estimates place Rockefeller's personal fortune as being equal to 1.53% of the American economy of that time, or about US $200 billion.
Adjusted for inflation, John D. Rockefeller was ten times richer than today's richest person.
He founded the philanthropic Rockefeller foundation on May 14, 1913 with the largest gift of money (to that time) of $100,000,000. The foundation promotes "the well-being of mankind throughout the world."
Rockefeller used the large amounts of money he had to do various things, including donating to schools, starting the University of Chicago and the Central Philippine University in the Philippines, funding important medical research, and giving the land for the General Assembly Building of the United Nations.
Six years after the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in New York was founded, a small hospital was opened alongside it for clinical research. This was the first time a hospital had been built for such a purpose.
His son John D Rockefeller Jr (1874 – 1962) devoted his life to his father's Rockefeller foundation.
Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, New York (which includes Radio City Music Hall), is the world's largest privately owned business and Entertainment Center.
John D Rockefeller died aged 97 at "The Casements", his home in Ormond Beach, Florida, from arteriosclerosis on May 23, 1937.
He was buried in Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland.
His grandson Nelson A Rockefeller 1908 to 1979 was governor of New York 1958-74 and Gerald Ford's vice president between 1974 and 1976.
As of 2015, the Rockefeller Foundation was ranked as the 39th largest U.S. foundation by total giving.
Source Book of Lists 3 by Amy Wallace, David Wallechinsky and Irving Wallace
His father William Avery "Bill" Rockefeller was a traveling salesman who identified himself as a "botanic physician" who sold elixirs and intentionally lent money to impoverished farmers to take their land. He was a sworn foe of conventional morality who preferred a vagabond existence and returned to his family infrequently.
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| John D. Rockefeller in 1885 |
WORK
Rockefeller got his first job when he was sixteen as an assistant bookkeeper working for a small produce commission firm called Hewitt & Tuttle. Making 50 cents a day, the full salary for his first three months' work was $50 (equivalent to $1 thousand in 2016 dollars). His dream as a kid was to make $100,000.
 |
| Rockefeller at age 18 |
Rockefeller went into the produce commission business with a partner, Maurice B. Clark in 1859, and they raised $4,000 ($106,622 in 2016 dollars) in capital. Rockefeller went steadily ahead in business from there, making money each year of his career.
During the Civil War, John D Rockefeller paid another man to join the Union Army in his place. Rockefeller's commission business in Cleveland, Ohio was flourishing and felt he was more valuable to the war effort by providing employment for people who were involved with supplying food and grain to the military.
In 1866, William Rockefeller Jr., John's brother, built a refinery in Cleveland and brought John into the partnership. Within a couple of years, John D, Rockefeller's practice of borrowing and reinvesting profits, controlling costs, and using refineries' waste, resulted in the company owning two Cleveland refineries and a marketing subsidiary in New York, making it the largest oil refinery in the world.
Rockefeller founded Standard Oil in 1870, capitalizing on a time when there was a soaring demand for kerosene and gasoline.
John D Rockefeller dominated the petroleum industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, at his peak controlling 90 per cent of all oil in the U.S.
 |
| Standard Oil Trust Certificate 1896 |
The famous New Yorker brought on a new era of wealth in America, when he nearly monopolized the oil industry in the late 1800s. Rockefeller became so wealthy that he left his company in 1897 and spent the last 40 years of his life retired.
PERSONAL LIFE
In 1864, Rockefeller married Laura Celestia "Cettie" Spelman (1839–1915), daughter of Harvey Buell Spelman and Lucy Henry. They had four daughters and one son together.
 |
| Photographic portrait of Laura Spelman Rockefeller |
Following her wedding, Spelman joined Rockefeller's congregation, the Northern Baptists where she remained active. Once the family business, Standard Oil, began to take off, she further devoted her time to philanthropy and her children.
A devout Northern Baptist, he was a faithful congregant of the Erie Street Baptist Mission Church.
Rockefeller would read the Bible daily, attend prayer meetings twice a week and even led his own Bible study with his wife.
Rockefeller adhered to total abstinence from alcohol and tobacco throughout his life.
Rockefeller spent his retirement at Kykuit, the Rockefeller Family Home in Westchester County, New York. It has been home to four generations of the Rockefeller family.
 |
| Kykuit By Gryffindor |
WEALTH
Rockefeller is widely considered the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history. He amassed his fortune from the Standard Oil company, of which he was a founder, chairman and major shareholder.
Despite his immense wealth, John D. Rockefeller always took the train from his mansion to his downtown New York office every day. He was often harassed by beggars and other passengers, but refused to travel with bodyguards or use private transportation.
In 1913 John Rockefeller owned 2% of the US GDP, an amount that today would be worth over $409 billion and make him three times richer than Jeff Bezos.
On September 29, 1916, Rockefeller became the first ever billionaire when he reached a nominal personal fortune of US$1 billion.
By the time of his death in 1937, estimates place Rockefeller's personal fortune as being equal to 1.53% of the American economy of that time, or about US $200 billion.
Adjusted for inflation, John D. Rockefeller was ten times richer than today's richest person.
PHILANTHROPY
He founded the philanthropic Rockefeller foundation on May 14, 1913 with the largest gift of money (to that time) of $100,000,000. The foundation promotes "the well-being of mankind throughout the world."
 |
| Rockefeller in 1911 |
Rockefeller used the large amounts of money he had to do various things, including donating to schools, starting the University of Chicago and the Central Philippine University in the Philippines, funding important medical research, and giving the land for the General Assembly Building of the United Nations.
Six years after the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in New York was founded, a small hospital was opened alongside it for clinical research. This was the first time a hospital had been built for such a purpose.
His son John D Rockefeller Jr (1874 – 1962) devoted his life to his father's Rockefeller foundation.
Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, New York (which includes Radio City Music Hall), is the world's largest privately owned business and Entertainment Center.
DEATH AND LEGACY
John D Rockefeller died aged 97 at "The Casements", his home in Ormond Beach, Florida, from arteriosclerosis on May 23, 1937.
He was buried in Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland.
His grandson Nelson A Rockefeller 1908 to 1979 was governor of New York 1958-74 and Gerald Ford's vice president between 1974 and 1976.
As of 2015, the Rockefeller Foundation was ranked as the 39th largest U.S. foundation by total giving.
Source Book of Lists 3 by Amy Wallace, David Wallechinsky and Irving Wallace
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