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Business magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller is often considered the wealthiest American in history. Comparing wealth of individuals across large spans of time is difficult, as the value of money and assets is heavily dependent on the time period.
- The Early Life of John D. Rockefeller
- John D. Rockefeller: The Business Magnate
- John D. Rockefeller: The Philanthropist
- In Summary
John D. Rockefeller was born in Richford, New York, on July 8, 1839. He was born to Eliza Davison Rockefeller and William Avery Rockefeller, who each took on very different roles in young John's life. Rockefeller's father was a pitch-man who persuaded clients that he had elixirs that would cure ailments, earning money through cons and schemes. He w...
On March 1, 1859, while he was only 19, Rockefeller developed his own business along with a neighbor, Maurice Clark. They named the company Clark & Rockefeller, commissioning merchants for grain, hay, meats, and other goods, which were much needed during the Civil War. They each earned a profit of $4,400 in 1861 and $17,000 in 1862. Rockefeller tra...
After retirement, Rockefeller turned his attention to philanthropy. While his son, John D. Rockefeller Jr and Frederick T. Gates had full-time management of the fortune, Rockefeller continuously made donations for the betterment of society. He donated $75,000,000 to the University of Chicagoby 1932. He also set up the Rockefeller Institute for Medi...
John D. Rockefeller pursued business endeavors from a young age, consistently moving towards bigger and higher-paying jobs and learning different business strategies along the way. By only 31, he founded the Standard Oil Company, which became his largest source of income. With plenty of influence and the title of the richest American in the country...
- Sheridan Grant
Dec 24, 2019 · Comparatively, the current richest person in America is Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon with a net worth of $107.8 billion. According to Forbes’ magazine, the first three richest men alive on earth today are Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffet.
- John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) > 2022 estimated net worth: $291.8 billion. John D. Rockefeller was the first American billionaire, and to this day, he is by far the wealthiest American of all time.
- Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877) > 2022 estimated net worth: $236.4 billion. Cornelius Vanderbilt is one of just two Americans who amassed a fortune that was worth over $236 billion in 2022 dollars.
- Elon Musk (1971-present) > 2022 estimated net worth: $207.0 billion. Elon Musk was born in South Africa, before moving to Canada at 17, then to the U.S. to study at the University of Pennsylvania, eventually becoming a U.S. citizen.
- Sam Walton (1918-1992) > 2022 estimated net worth: $194.6 billion. Sam Walton is one of the most successful businessmen of all time, taking Walmart from a small discount store in Arkansas into the largest retailer in the world.
- John D. Rockefeller. Fortune: $336 billion. Born: 1835. Source of wealth: He founded Standard Oil in 1870, at the age of 31, and bought up most of the oil refineries in the United States, eventually controlling about 90% of the American oil business.
- Andrew Carnegie. Fortune: $309 billion. Born: 1835. Source of wealth: Carnegie invested in the steel business when the market was booming, eventually ending up at the head of the U.S. Steel empire.
- Cornelius Vanderbilt. Fortune: $185 billion. Born: 1794. Source of wealth: In 1862, he began to buy railroad lines. Although already 70 years old, his wealth mostly comes from this business of the 19th century.
- Bill Gates. Peak fortune: $136 billion. Born: 1955. Source of wealth: Founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975. He held onto shares as Microsoft dominated the age of computers, peaking in personal wealth at the top of the Dot Com Bubble.
Many sources cite John D. Rockefeller(1839–1937) as the richest person in the history of the United States, however this result comes not from adjusting his wealth for inflation, but by comparing his wealth to the size of the American economy at that time.
Oct 22, 2021 · Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos ranks as the richest person in the world and the third richest American of all time, with a net worth of $188.5 billion as of April 2021.
