About
John Davison Rockefeller was born on July 8, 1839, in Richford, New York, and died on May 23, 1937, in Ormond Beach, Florida. Founder of the Standard Oil Company in 1870, he built a petroleum empire that controlled about 90% of American oil refining and marketing by the early 1880s. The dissolution of Standard Oil by the Supreme Court in 1911 marked a turning point in antitrust regulation. After retiring from business in 1896-1897, he devoted himself to philanthropy, founding the University of Chicago, the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, and the Rockefeller Foundation. His lifetime benefactions exceeded $500 million.
Key milestones
- 1870Founded the Standard Oil Company in Ohio.
- 1911The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of Standard Oil.
- 1913Founded the Rockefeller Foundation.
Themes
Monopoly and antitrustPhilanthropyIndustrializationCapitalismSocial criticism
Sources: rockarch.org · britannica.com