Top 10 Facts about John D. Rockefeller

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Top 10 Facts about John D. Rockefeller

He was born on 8th July 1839 at Richford New York, in the United States of America. He was the second born to con artists William Avery Rockefeller and Eliza Davison.

More importantly, he married Laura Celestia Spelman nicknamed ‘Cettie’ in 1864 and together they had four daughters and one son. He was the founder of the standard oil company.

However, he became one of the world’s wealthiest men and a major philanthropist. He worked as an office clerk at a Cleveland commission firm that bought, sold, and shipped grain and other commodities.

1. John D. Rockefeller’s father was a con artist and a bigamist.

 William Avery, John D. Rockefeller’s father was a traveling oil salesman who posed as a deaf-mute peddler, hawked miracle drugs and herbal medicines. His father had sired children with his mistress.

William Rockefeller also lived a double life posing as an eye and ear specialist named Dr. William Leviston. He secretly married another woman in 1855.

2. John D Rockefeller celebrated the day he landed his first job every year.

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Hewitt and Tuttle Company a Cleveland merchant company hired Rockefeller as an assistant bookkeeper on 26^th, September 1855.

From that year forward, John Rockefeller celebrated the job day every September 26 to remember his entrance into the business world and he considered the date more important than his birthday.

3. John D Rockefeller lost all hair from his body due to alopecia

In his early 40s, Rockefeller suffered from alopecia. The condition made him lose all the hair from his head, his mustache, and his body.

His hair never grew back which made Rockefeller start wearing wigs as result. He wore rotating wigs of various the lengths in 1900s to give the impression of his hair growing and being shorn.

4. John D Rockefeller was unable to pay Winston Churchill to write his biography

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Winston Churchill famously known as a great orator was also a masterful writer. He  had won the 1953 Nobel Prize for literature.

During the 1930s, Rockefeller’s family approached him to write their patriarch. Churchill gave an advance payment of $250000 which was too much even for the rich Rockefeller.

Instead of paying a great amount, John D Rockefeller turned to Anan Neivers, a Columbia University historian to write the biography.

5. Why John D. Rockefeller’s company violated Federal Antitrust laws

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Due to the breaking of federal antitrust laws, the United States Supreme Court ruled for the breakup of the standard oil company in 1911.

The company was broken up into 34 separate entities that included companies such as Exxon Mobil, Conoco, Chevron, and Amoco.

6. John D. Rockefeller was the Country’s First Billionaire

Due to the breaking of federal antitrust laws, the United States Supreme Court ruled for the breakup of the standard oil company in 1911.

The company was broken up into 34 separate entities that included companies such as Exxon Corporation (1972), Chevron Corporation (1984), and Amoco in 1985.

7. Atlanta Baptist Seminary changed its name to Spelman College in honor of his wife

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Out of Rockefeller’s aid and donations of millions to help the foundation of the University of Chicago and Rockefeller University, John in 1882, began to donate money to the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary.

The African American women’s school, two years later changed its name to Spelman Seminary in honor of his wife, Laura, and her parents Harvey Buel and Lucy Henry Spelman who were longtime abolitionists.

In 1924 the institution was officially renamed Spelman College.

8. He helped in the fight against hookworm in the United States of America

Rockefeller pursued a number of philanthropic efforts in their lifetime. In 1910, the funding led to the widespread treatment of hookworm illness.

More than forty percent of the population in southern states had hookworm infection in the early twentieth century.

Rockefeller Sanitary Commission for Eradication of Hookworm Disease used Rockefeller’s $1 million donations to map out high-risk areas to cure with Epsom salts and Thymol while educating the public on the need for improved sanitation.

9. Why John D. Rockefeller hired a substitute to serve for him in the civil war

Although he was a fervent abolitionist, John D. Rockefeller did not take up arms when the Civil War broke out in 1861.

While his youngest brother was wounded at Chancellorsville and Cedar Mountain, John D. Rockefeller received an exemption for being the primary means of supporting his family and hired substitute soldiers in his stead, a common practice during the war.

He said that he wanted to go in the army and do his part but it was simply out of the question. There was no one to take his place, he was in a new business, and if he had not stayed it must have stopped, and with so many dependent on it.

John D. Rockefeller’s commodity business profited handsomely from the Civil War and provided the necessary capital for his entrance into the oil business.

The US government allowed the practice which granted people the permission to offer up a substitute in their place of war.

10. John D. Rockefeller’s wealth was as a result of his obsession with the Oil Industry

Rockefeller’s immense wealth came from his oil company. He struck deals with railroads to ship his goods cheaply and bought out small companies.

By the year 1882, his company owned operated and controlled 90% of all refineries in the United States. In 1870 Rockefeller, Andrews, and Flagler incorporated into Standard Oil, which is a mere two years controlled all the oil refineries in Cleveland.

Rockefeller keenly understood ways of managing risk. While he knew oil speculators could potentially reap huge profits if they hit a deposit, he also knew that they faced substantial financial loss if they failed in that effort.

For this reason, he strategically narrowed his focus to the refining business, where profits were smaller but more stable.

John Rockefeller was a business mogul who worked hard and gave his best to his activities to achieve the best. He invested in his oil companies giving it his all.

He was a determined businessman who aimed at the sky. Having dropped out of school did not prevent him from venturing into the business world and making an impact as well as making history.

His hard work earned him the billionaire title. Rockefeller was also a caring, sharing, and kind man. He gave donations and helped in the fight against hookworm infection.