A biography of john d rockefeller iv

Blake Lively. Selena Gomez. Wally Amos. Antitrust Issues With such an aggressive push into the industry, the public and the U. Rockefeller was the head of the Standard Oil Company and one of the world's richest men. He used his fortune to fund ongoing philanthropic causes. Rockefeller Biography Author: Biography. Watch Next. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below.

Rockefeller's operative, Lamont Montgomery Bowers, [ 99 ] remained in the background. Few miners belonged to the union or participated in the strike call, but the majority honored it. Strikebreakers called "scabs" were threatened and sometimes attacked. Both sides purchased substantial arms and ammunition.

A biography of john d rockefeller iv: John Davison "Jay" Rockefeller IV is

Striking miners were forced to abandon their homes in company towns and lived in tent cities erected by the union, such as the tent city at Ludlow, a railway stop north of Trinidad. Under the protection of the National Guard, some miners returned to work and some strikebreakers, imported from the eastern coalfields, joined them as Guard troops protected their movements.

In Februarya substantial portion of the troops were withdrawn, but a large contingent remained at Ludlow. On April 20,a general fire-fight occurred between strikers and troops, which was antagonized by the troops and mine guards. The camp was burned, resulting in 15 women and children, who hid in tents at the camp, being burned to death.

This incident brought unwanted national attention to Colorado. The union was forced to discontinue strike benefits in February There was destitution in the coalfields. With the help of funds from the Rockefeller Foundationrelief programs were organized by the Colorado Committee on Unemployment and Relief.

A biography of john d rockefeller iv: Senator John Davison (Jay)

A state agency created by Governor Carlson, offered work to unemployed miners building roads and doing other useful projects. The casualties suffered at Ludlow mobilized public opinion against the Rockefellers and the coal industry. Bowers was relieved of duty and Wellborn restored to control inthen industrial relations improved. Rockefeller denied any responsibility and minimized the seriousness of the event.

I would have deplored the necessity which compelled the officers of the company to resort to such measures to supplement the State forces to maintain law and order. Against long-circulating speculations that his family has French roots, genealogists proved the German origin of Rockefeller and traced them to the early 17th century. Johann Peter Rockenfeller baptized September 27,in the Protestant church of Rengsdorf immigrated in from Altwied today a district of NeuwiedRhineland-Palatinate with three children to North America.

He settled in Germantown, Pennsylvania. The name Rockenfeller refers to the now-abandoned village of Rockenfeld in the district of Neuwied. They had four daughters and one son together. He said later, "Her judgment was always better than mine. Without her keen advice, I would be a poor man. The Rockefeller wealth, distributed as it was through a system of foundations and trusts, continued to fund family philanthropic, commercial, and, eventually, political aspirations throughout the 20th century.

John Jr. Grandson Laurance Spelman Rockefeller became a conservationist. John D. Rockefeller was born in Richford, New Yorkthen part of the Burned-over districta New York state region that became the site of an evangelical revival known as the Second Great Awakening. It drew masses to various Protestant churches—especially Baptist ones—and urged believers to follow such ideals as hard work, prayer, and good deeds to build "the Kingdom of God on Earth.

His mother was deeply religious and disciplined, and had a major influence on him in religious matters. During church service, his mother would urge him to contribute his few pennies to the congregation. Rockefeller associated the church with charity. A Baptist preacher once encouraged him to "make as much money as he could, and then give away as much as he could".

Money making was considered by him a "God-given gift". A devout Northern Baptist, Rockefeller would read the Bible daily, attend prayer meetings twice a week and led his own Bible study with his wife. Burton Folsom Jr. His philosophy of giving was founded upon biblical principles. He truly believed in the biblical principle found in Luke"Give, and it will be given to you.

A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Rockefeller would support Baptist missionary activity, fund universities, and deeply engage in religious activities at his Cleveland, Ohiochurch. While traveling the Southhe would donate large sums of money to churches belonging to the Southern Baptist Conventionvarious Black churchesand other Christian denominations.

He paid toward the freedom of two slaves [ ] and donated to a Roman Catholic orphanage. As he grew rich, his donations became more generous, especially to his church in Cleveland. Believed to be obsolescent, the church was demolished inand replaced with a new building. Rockefeller's charitable giving began with his first job as a clerk at age 16, when he gave six percent of his earnings to charity, as recorded in his personal ledger.

By the time he was twenty, his charity exceeded ten percent of his income. Much of his giving was church-related. Rockefeller attended Baptist churches every Sunday; when traveling he would often attend services at African-American Baptist congregations, leaving a substantial donation. He was advised primarily by Frederick Taylor Gates [ ] after[ ] and, a biography of john d rockefeller ivalso by his son.

Rockefeller believed in the Efficiency Movementarguing that: "To help an inefficient, ill-located, unnecessary school is a waste Rockefeller and his advisers invented the conditional grant, which required the recipient to "root the institution in the affections of as many people as possible who, as contributors, become personally concerned, and thereafter may be counted on to give to the institution their watchful interest and cooperation".

The Spelman Family, Rockefeller's in-laws, along with John Rockefeller were ardent abolitionists before the Civil War and were dedicated to supporting the Underground Railroad. The oldest existing building on Spelman's campus, Rockefeller Hall, is named after him. He would describe the University of Chicago as "the best investment I ever made.

Rockefeller's General Education Boardfounded in[ ] was established to promote education at all levels everywhere in the country. On Gates' advice, Rockefeller became one of the first great benefactors of medical science. It changed its name to Rockefeller University inafter expanding its mission to include graduate education. His General Education Board made a dramatic impact by funding the recommendations of the Flexner Report of Rockefeller created the Rockefeller Foundation in [ ] to continue and expand the scope of the work of the Sanitary Commission, [ ] which was closed in In the s, the Rockefeller Foundation funded a hookworm eradication campaign through the International Health Division.

This campaign used a combination of politics and science, along with collaboration between healthcare workers and government officials to accomplish its goals. Rockefeller's fourth main philanthropy, the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Foundation, was created in Rockefeller became well known in his later life for the practice of giving dimes to adults and nickels to children wherever he went.

He even gave dimes as a playful gesture to wealthy men, such as tire mogul Harvey Firestone. Rockefeller supported the passage of the 18th Amendmentwhich banned alcohol in the United States. He wrote in a letter to Nicholas Murray Butler on June 6,that neither Rockefeller nor his parents or his father's father and mother's mother drank alcohol.

In the same letter, Rockefeller writes that he has "always stood for whatever measure seemed at the time to give promise of promoting temperance. He supported the incorporation of repealing the 18th amendment into the Republican party platform. Flagler expanded it to accommodate guests and the hotel soon became one in a series of Gilded Age hotels catering to passengers aboard Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway.

A biography of john d rockefeller iv: John Davison "Jay" Rockefeller

Rockefeller, who first stayed at the hotel in Rockefeller liked the Ormond Beach area so much that after four seasons at the hotel, he bought an estate in Ormond Beach called The Casements in He became known in the area for his elaborate Christmas parties, his love of golf, and for handing out dimes to his neighbors or visitors. During a golf game with Harvey Firestone, the tire magnate made such a good shot that Rockefeller decided he deserved a dime and handed one to his somewhat embarrassed guest.

Nationwide newspapers sent Van De Grift to spend a week with Rockefeller candidly asking humble questions, taking strolls together, asking about golf, church, and day-to-day life, while staying across the street from him at the Ormond Hotel. Sold by his heirs in[ ] it was purchased by the city in and now serves as a cultural center and is the community's best-known historical structure.

In his 50s, Rockefeller suffered from moderate depression and digestive troubles; during a stressful period in the s he developed alopeciathe loss of some or all body hair. His hair never grew back, but other health complaints subsided as he lightened his workload. Rockefeller died of arteriosclerosis on May 23,less than two months shy of his 98th birthday, [ ] at " The Casements ", his home in Ormond Beach, Florida.

He was buried in Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland. Rockefeller had a long and controversial career in the oil industry followed by a long career in philanthropy. His image is an amalgam of all of these experiences and the a biographies of john d rockefeller iv ways he was viewed by his contemporaries. These contemporaries include his former competitors, many of whom were driven to ruin, but many others of whom sold out at a profit or a profitable stake in Standard Oil, as Rockefeller often offered his shares as payment for a businessand quite a few of whom became very wealthy as managers as well as owners in Standard Oil.

They include politicians and writers, some of whom served Rockefeller's interests, and some of whom built their careers by fighting Rockefeller and the " robber barons ". Biographer Allan Nevinsanswering Rockefeller's enemies, concluded:. The rise of the Standard Oil men to great wealth was not from poverty. It was not meteor-like, but accomplished over a quarter of a century by courageous venturing in a field so risky that most large capitalists avoided it, by arduous labors, and by more sagacious and farsighted planning than had been applied to any other American industry.

The oil fortunes of were not larger than steel fortunes, banking fortunes, and railroad fortunes made in similar periods. But it is the assertion that the Standard magnates gained their wealth by appropriating "the property of others" that most challenges our attention. We have abundant evidence that Rockefeller's consistent policy was to offer fair terms to competitors and to buy them out, for cash, stock, or both, at fair appraisals; we have the statement of one impartial historian that Rockefeller was decidedly "more humane toward competitors" than Carnegie ; we have the conclusion of another that his wealth was "the least tainted of all the great fortunes of his day.

Hostile critics often portrayed Rockefeller as a villain with a suite of bad traits—ruthless, unscrupulous and greedy—and as a bully who connived his cruel path to dominance. Economic historian Robert Whaples warns against ignoring the secrets of his business success:. Biographer Ron Chernow wrote of Rockefeller: [ ]. What makes him problematic—and why he continues to inspire ambivalent reactions—is that his good side was every bit as good as his bad side was bad.

Seldom has history produced such a contradictory figure. Rockefeller is largely remembered simply for the raw size of his wealth. His wealth continued to grow significantly in line with U. His personal wealth was million in worth This was probably the greatest amount of wealth that any private citizen had ever been able to accumulate by his own efforts.

Bill was known to cheat his sons out of the money they made through chores and odd jobs, claiming that he did so as part of their education in business matters. American History People. Calmes, Jackie. New York Times. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia'.

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