who was john d rockefeller's lawyer

by Dr. Wendell Bahringer Jr. 7 min read

Samuel Calvin Tate Dodd

Who was John D Rockefeller?

John D. Rockefeller was an American businessman. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company. Standard Oil dominated the oil business in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

What did John D Rockefeller do wrong?

Critics accused Rockefeller of engaging in unethical practices, such as predatory pricing and colluding with railroads to eliminate his competitors, in order to gain a monopoly in the industry. In 1911, the U.S. Supreme Court found Standard Oil in violation of anti-trust laws and ordered it to dissolve.

What did John D Rockefeller learn about contract writing from his father?

He also learned how to properly write up contracts from his father. At the age of 16, John D. Rockefeller started his job search and through perseverance, obtained a position in 1855 as an assistant bookkeeper at Hewitt and Tuttle.

How did John D Rockefeller get involved in the steel industry?

In 1901, U.S. Steel, then controlled by J. Pierpont Morgan, having bought Andrew Carnegie's steel assets, offered to buy Standard's iron interests as well. A deal brokered by Henry Clay Frick exchanged Standard's iron interests for U.S. Steel stock and gave Rockefeller and his son membership on the company's board of directors.

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How did JD Rockefeller treat his workers?

Rockefeller was a bona fide billionaire. Critics charged that his labor practices were unfair. Employees pointed out that he could have paid his workers a fairer wage and settled for being a half-billionaire. Before his death in 1937, Rockefeller gave away nearly half of his fortune.

Who is JD Rockefeller?

John D. Rockefeller founded the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Later in life he turned his attention to charity. He made possible the founding of the University of Chicago and endowed major philanthropic institutions.

Was John Rockefeller a good person?

The Bottom Line. Billionaire John D. Rockefeller was both admired and loathed, but there is no getting around the fact of his importance as both the principal founder of the Standard Oil monopoly and a world-class philanthropist.

How did JD Rockefeller acquire his wealth?

After knowingly buying fields in Ohio containing sour oil, Rockefeller relied on his research and development team to create a way to remove the oil impurities, which they eventually did, allowing him to cash in on oil no one else wanted. John Davison Rockefeller, 1839-1937.

Is Michael Rockefeller related to John D. Rockefeller?

ichael Clark Rockefeller (1938–1961) was the son of a Governor of New York and future Vice President of the United States of America Nelson Rockefeller. Michael was also a grand-grandson of John D. Rockefeller, one of the wealthiest men of all time.

Who are Rothschild Rockefeller?

The transatlantic union brings together David Rockefeller, 96, and Lord Rothschild, 76—two family patriarchs whose personal relationship spans five decades. The Rockefeller group traces its roots back to 1882 when John D. Rockefeller established one of the world's first family offices dedicated to investing his wealth.

How was Rockefeller ruthless?

He was ruthless. To crush his competitors, Rockefeller would create a shortage of the railroad tank cars that transported oil. He'd then buy up all the barrels on the market so his competitors would have no place to store or ship their oil. He bought up all the available chemicals that were necessary to refine oil.

How did Rockefeller lose his money?

Due to Rockefeller's shrewd management, cost-cutting measures, and conservative financial management, he and his Standard Oil proceeded to dominate the oil industry, so much so that Standard Oilattracted the attention of the United Statesgovernment, which, in 1911, ordered that it be broken up.

How much is the Rockefeller family worth today?

Now entering its seventh generation with as many as 170 heirs, the Rockefeller family has maintained substantial wealth — they had an $11 billion fortune in 2016, according to Forbes. That's more than 100 years after John D.

Are any Rockefellers still alive?

David Rockefeller (June 12, 1915 – March 20, 2017) was an American investment banker who served as chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan Corporation. He was the oldest living member of the third generation of the Rockefeller family, and family patriarch from July 2004 until his death in March 2017.

Who was the 1st billionaire?

In the year 1913, Rockefeller's personal wealth, which stood at $900 million, was more than 2% of the US GDP of $39.1 billion that year. And in 1916, Rockefeller was announced as the country's official first billionaire, with a fortune worth nearly 2% of the national economy.

Who was the first US billionaire?

magnate John D. RockefellerThe American oil magnate John D. Rockefeller became the world's first confirmed U.S. dollar billionaire in 1916, and still holds the title of history's second wealthiest individual.

How did John D. Rockefeller get famous?

John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company acquired pipelines and terminal facilities, purchased competing refineries, and vigorously sought to exp...

What were John D. Rockefeller’s accomplishments?

John D. Rockefeller founded the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Later in life h...

What was John D. Rockefeller remembered for?

John D. Rockefeller was remembered for his wealth and for the aggressive competitive practices of the Standard Oil Company. Public hostility toward...

Where did Rockefeller live?

He moved with his family to Moravia, New York, and, in 1851, to Oswego, New York, where he attended Oswego Academy.

How did Rockefeller evade the decision?

Rockefeller evaded the decision by dissolving the trust and transferring its properties to companies in other states, with interlocking directorates so that the same nine men controlled the operations of the affiliated companies.

Why were Rockefeller and other heads of monopolistic companies called robber barons?

Public hostility toward monopolies, of which Standard was the best known, caused some countries to enact anti-monopoly laws. For these reasons, Rockefeller and other heads of monopolistic companies were called robber barons by their critics.

How did Rockefeller make his fortune?

John D. Rockefeller made his immense riches from monopolizing America’s oil industry. Conspiring with refinery owners, he helped found what became known as the Standard Oil monopoly. The consortium colluded with the railroads to monopolize oil delivery, prompting competitors to allow themselves…

How much did Rockefeller give to charity?

Rockefeller’s benefactions during his lifetime totaled more than $500 million.

Where was Rockefeller's first refinery?

Sensing the commercial potential of the expanding oil production in western Pennsylvania in the early 1860s, he built his first oil refinery, near Cleveland, in 1863. Within two years it was the largest refinery in the area, and thereafter Rockefeller devoted himself exclusively to the oil business.

Who was the journalist who wrote the history of the Standard Oil Company?

Standard Oil’s questionable ethics were also taken to task by American journalist Ida Tarbell in her 19-part exposé and commentary called The History of the Standard Oil Company, which was released in installments by McClure’s Magazine between 1902 and 1904. John D. Rockefeller and his son, John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Who was John Rockefeller?

John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937), founder of the Standard Oil Company, became one of the world’s wealthiest men and a major philanthropist. Born into modest circumstances in upstate New York, he entered the then-fledgling oil business in 1863 by investing in a Cleveland, Ohio refinery.

What did Rockefeller do in 1865?

In 1865, Rockefeller borrowed money to buy out some of his partners and take control of the refinery, which had become the largest in Cleveland. Over the next few years, he acquired new partners and expanded his business interests in the growing oil industry. At the time, kerosene, derived from petroleum and used in lamps, was becoming an economic staple. In 1870, Rockefeller formed the Standard Oil Company of Ohio, along with his younger brother William (1841-1922), Henry Flagler (1830-1913) and a group of other men. John Rockefeller was its president and largest shareholder.

What happened to Rockefeller in 1911?

In 1911, the U.S. Supreme Court found Standard Oil in violation of anti-trust laws and ordered it to dissolve. During his life Rockefeller donated more than $500 million to various philanthropic causes.

How many children did the Rockefellers have?

The Rockefellers went on to have five children, four daughters (three of whom survived to adulthood) and one son: John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Edith Rockefeller McCormick, Elizabeth Rockefeller Strong, Alta Rockefeller Prentice and Alice Rockefeller, who died when she was 13 months old.

When did Rockefeller start his own oil company?

In 1859, Rockefeller and a partner established their own commission firm. That same year, America’s first oil well was drilled in Titusville, Pennsylvania. In 1863, Rockefeller and several partners entered the booming new oil industry by investing in a Cleveland refinery.

Who was Rockefeller inspired by?

Rockefeller retired from day-to-day business operations of Standard Oil in the mid-1890s. Inspired in part by fellow Gilded Age tycoon Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), who made a vast fortune in the steel industry then became a philanthropist and gave away the bulk of his money, Rockefeller donated more than half a billion dollars to various educational, religious and scientific causes through the Rockefeller Foundation. Among his activities, he funded the establishment of the University of Chicago and the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research (now Rockefeller University).

Who was the president of the Standard Oil Company?

In 1870, Rockefeller formed the Standard Oil Company of Ohio, along with his younger brother William (1841-1922), Henry Flagler (1830-1913) and a group of other men. John Rockefeller was its president and largest shareholder.

What happened to Rockefeller in the early 1890s?

Rockefeller had a partial nervous breakdown in the early 1890’s. Meanwhile his business was so large and he has acquired so much wealth that he did not know what to do with it. Much of it was invested as well as donated to charities. He sold his iron-ore businesses and retired in 1897.

Where was Rockefeller born?

From an early age, his parents created an understanding of the value of money and how important work and savings were to being successful. In 1851 his family moved to Owego, New York and a year later he attended Owego Academy where he particularly excelled in arithmetic.

How long did Rockefeller spend at Folsom's?

John D. Rockefeller completed 10 weeks at Folsom’s Commercial College in the spring of 1855. In his brief time there he learned bookkeeping, commercial history, penmanship, mercantile customs, and banking and exchange. He also learned how to properly write up contracts from his father.

Who was Rockefeller married to?

Rockefeller got married to Laura Celestia Spelman in 1839. The couple was blessed with four daughters and a son. They were named as Edith Rockefeller, Elizabeth Rockefeller, Alta Rockefeller, Alice Rockefeller, and John D. Rockefeller.

Where was John Rockefeller born?

John Davison Rockefeller Sr. was born on July 8, 1839, in Richford, New York to his parents Eliza Davison and William Avery Bill Rockefeller. He and his family shifted to Owego, New York when he was a child.

What was Rockefeller's first company?

Rockefeller worked as an assistant bookkeeper with Hewitt & Tuttle, produce shippers and commission merchants. In 1859, he began his first company, along with an Englishman named Clark. Within a year, they aggregated four hundred fifty thousand dollars of trading.

How much did Rockefeller make in 2021?

The estimated earnings of Rockefeller was around $340 billion as of 2021. He made all this fortune by founding the Standard Oil Company. He was also in many other organizations from which he earns some part of his income.

Who was the reporter who found William Rockefeller?

Seven years later, in 1908, a World reporter named A.B. Macdonald finally got the scoop. But he was too late: William Rockefeller had died six months earlier.

What did Tarbell write about Rockefeller's father?

But just as shocking as her portrait of one of the United States’ most famous men was what she wrote about his father. Tarbell accused William Avery Rockefeller of posing as a physician and exploiting others for financial gain, and brought to light allegations of rape and horse thievery against him.

Was Rockefeller a bigamist?

The article also claimed that William Rockefeller had been a bigamist. During John D. Rockefeller’s childhood, he had lived with John D.’s mother, Eliza, but a mistress had lived under the same roof as a housekeeper. Eventually, he had remarried without obtaining a divorce, living a double life and splitting his time between two families.

Did Rockefeller ignore Pulitzer?

As for John D. Rockefeller, he ignored Pulitzer’s exposé and tried to move on—presumably eager for the public to forget his connection to—and similarities with—a father who had no qualms about cheating others in the name of profit. He had spent a lifetime trying to escape his roots, and wasn’t about to stop now.

Who was the journalist who exposed Standard Oil's secretive business practices?

The accusations came courtesy of Ida Tarbell, the muckraking journalist who exposed Standard Oil’s secretive business practices, which included cutting secret deals to squelch its competitors. As the capstone to her multi-part exposé in McClure’s magazine, she published a two-part character study of John D. Rockefeller in 1905.

Who owned the world and exposed Rockefeller's roots?

His whereabouts were only exposed thanks to another news legend who despised Rockefeller and his business practices. Joseph Pulitzer, the news magnate who owned the World, sensed that exposing Rockefeller’s roots would not just humiliate the man, but sell more papers. Beginning in 1901, he offered an $8,000 reward—the equivalent ...

Did John D. speak of his father's cash?

Famously money-hungry, John D. spoke admiringly of his father’s piles of cash long after he had made a fortune that would have surpassed his father’s wildest dreams. But though the head of Standard Oil was proud to tell the world where he had gotten his own appreciation for cold hard cash, he always excluded a detail: where his father’s cash came ...

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