John Davison Rockefeller is the first ever billionaire and the richest man in the world. John Rockefeller - biography, information, personal life Rockefeller successfully did both

It would be very strange if the name of such a person as John Davison Rockefeller, who is known, first of all, for becoming the first person in the history of the planet Earth, whose fortune exceeded one billion dollars, was absent in the “Success Story” rubric.

It is very remarkable that the story of his success began in a small provincial town in North America and this man owes his success solely to his talent and perseverance.

John was born in Richford, New York, to a Protestant family. His father, William Avery Rockefeller, was first a lumberjack, and then became a traveling salesman who supplied the inhabitants of the surrounding area with miraculous elixirs and potions. Dad was rarely at home, he devoted a lot of time to trade, alcohol and riotous women. But in his memoirs, John speaks of his parent as good father, which in free time devoted a lot of time to his son and, in particular, taught him to trade. William, as they would say now, arranged for his son a kind of training by buying and selling various services of his son. Subsequently, John highly appreciated these lessons. And from communication with his father, he made a firm conviction that alcohol and tobacco are a vice, and this is very bad. And looking at how his mother suffers from the frequent betrayals of her husband, he decided as a child that he would never do this.

Neighbors considered John's father a very strange person who did not want to work, but simply a quitter. However, William managed to save up some money and buy land and invest some money in various businesses. He willingly shared with his son his knowledge of the principles of doing business and the fundamental criteria for success.

John's mother, Eliza Davison, ran the entire household (there were six children in the family. John is the second child in the family), was very sensitive to religion and resignedly accepted the hardships of life: regular lack of money (the husband was often absent from home, which required austerity) and cheating spouse.

Subsequently, John said that he began to engage in commerce from early childhood. Many consider it disgusting that the future millionaire bought sweets in a shop, and then sold them individually to his sisters. Preying on your relatives is disgusting?! It all depends on what angle you look at it from. Do you also think the boy's actions are terrible? Then try to answer the following questions:

• Are sweets an essential item?
• did the girls have money (they also bought sweets from John) and what prevented them from buying sweets in the store themselves?
• sweets in the shop were sold not by the piece, but by weight. Girls buying one candy spent less money than if they bought these sweets in a shop, which means they thought they were getting a good deal. If both parties believe that they have received the expected benefit, then what is immoral?

So even in early childhood, not from books, but from his own practical experience, John understood what the laws of surplus value are and how they work. I think it's very important for a future success story to understand how money works.

At the age of seven, he began to breed and feed turkeys for sale, helped his neighbors (not free of charge) dig potatoes.

And what is remarkable is that he recorded all the results of his commercial activities in a notebook. A stingy boy? Business is not possible without accounting and planning. Little John knew what is a revelation for many of today's businessmen - success is not possible without consideration and planning.

Everything that he managed to earn, the boy kept in a porcelain piggy bank, which allowed him to start lending at the age of thirteen - it was at this age that he issued his first loan to a farmer he knew. Fifty dollars at 7.5 percent per annum. Expensive? But the farmer took it, which means he considered that it was profitable for him. Money should not just lie - they should work and make a profit. This is one of the rules for success. Money has to work.

If you want a success story, don't go to school

In the same year, when he issued the first loan in his life, he went to school for the first time. Many years later, recalling this period of his life, John wrote that it was very difficult for him to study, and completing the lessons required simply titanic work. But the boy had a goal and he successfully completed school, and went to college with the goal of learning the basics accounting and commerce. But, as often happens with people who are not ordinary, he quickly realized that education does not bring him closer to success, but turns him into a diligent employee who will work for other people all his life.

He is completing a three-month accounting course and is looking for a job.

Just at this time, the Rockefeller family moved to Cleveland. John has been looking for a job for a month and a half and eventually becomes an accounting assistant in a small real estate and shipping company. Hardworking and punctual, he attracts the attention of the owners of the enterprise, and when the chief accountant leaves the company, the owners offer Rockefeller to take this place. But, the predecessor received 2,000 dollars a year, and John is offered only 600. And he leaves the company. If you do not appreciate your work, then others will not appreciate it. This is another rule for success - appreciate your work and do not let others devalue it. If you do not do this, then you will not have success or a success story. It was the first and latest work when John worked "for his uncle".

It so happened that it was at this time that an English businessman, John Maurice Clark, was looking for a partner with a capital of at least $ 2,000 to create and conduct a joint business. The young Rockefeller, at that time, had a gold reserve of $ 800. The missing amount had to be borrowed from daddy Rockefeller at 10% (!!! Remember the interest that John announced to a familiar farmer) per annum.

And April 27 happens historical event John Davison Rockefeller becomes junior partner in Clark and Rochester. The newly created company trades in hay, pork, grain ... Trades in everything that they buy.
And then something happens that can be called a gift of fate - the American Civil War begins. I understand your indignation - how can you call war a gift?! But, I will remind you that we are talking about a success story. For the business of a young company, the beginning of the war opened up great opportunities: war requires not only blood and lives, it takes everything. And hay, and pork, and cartridges ... Everything.

For such a business, the company's capital was clearly not enough, and John persuades the bank manager to issue an unsecured loan. How did it happen? History and young Rockefeller do not expand on the motives that pushed the hand and pen of the head of the bank. There is an opinion that Rockefeller was so sincere and convincing that the bank manager could not resist. Have you ever received a loan from a bank? Have you ever seen a sentimental bank manager? Or maybe people worked as bank managers in those distant times?!

As a junior companion and businessman, John D. Rockefeller decided to marry Laura Celestine Spelman, a simple teacher he had met during his student days. Like all women of that time, Laura was overly pious and at the same time unusually practical. Many years later, Rockefeller said that if it were not for the advice of my wife, then I would have remained a poor man. Was it true? Of course it was! Laura may not have understood business, but a like-minded wife is not just the secret to success. This is a rocket that will carry any normal man to the very pinnacle of success and to several lines in history, if not civilization, then business for sure.

Where did the success stories start?

The world was entering the age of oil. Kerosene lamps were already burning and the great minds of the world were developing their internal combustion engines. Civilization slowly but surely marched towards the twentieth century - the century of motors.

It was during this period that John met the chemist Samuel Andrews, who was fascinated by the problems of oil refining and was confident in the huge prospects of the emerging industry. In those days, the conversation was only about the possibilities of kerosene lighting of rooms and streets. A huge number of people, cities and towns ... A huge market that no one has yet controlled.

At this time, a message appeared in the press about a "fresh" oil field, which was discovered by Edwin Drake. The offer was risky, but very tempting. Rockefeller teamed up with Andrews, and then both of them, already as partners, turned to Clark. As a result, the oil refinery "Andrews and Clark" was established, with the aim of building an oil refinery, which the partners called "Flats". It was decided to transport oil by railway.

For the Rockefeller success story, oil and railroads are keywords. And it's not that oil was transported by rail. There are 12 golden rules on how to achieve success from the first billionaire. I present to your attention rule number 13, about which the author did not like to expand.

In the new company, Rockefeller led the search for oil fields. The work is hard and not always rewarding. During this period, John thought about the fact that a huge number of small enterprises are scattered around the country that are engaged in oil production and its processing. Terrible chaos in the market. But if all these small enterprises are united under one sign and roof ... It was with this idea that John Rockefeller came to his partners. it historical fact.

And now the main recipe in the success story from John Rockefeller - read carefully!

Under the laws of the time, corporations were not allowed to own property outside the state where the company was registered. And it was big problem- Potential investors are not interested in investing small amounts of money in a huge number of objects. The object of investment becomes much more attractive if the property can be combined.

And Rockefeller figured out how to get around the laws. The business plan (if you can call it that) of the future company was prepared very carefully: even such a question was thought out that employees should not have been paid in cash, they were given shares - this, according to Rockefeller, should have made them work more and more productively.

The following historical fact testifies to the thoroughness of the plan: barrels were required to transport oil. Barrels could be bought for $2.50, but the companions opened their own factory, which allowed them to get the same barrels for $1.00. For a small enterprise, the price of a barrel was not significant. However, the partners planned a business in which hundreds of thousands of barrels were needed.

The next point of the plan was the organization of transportation of oil and refined products. Rockefeller carefully studied all the transport companies operating in the region, their competitive advantages and weaknesses. A separate plan was drawn up, which involved the creation conflict situations among transport workers and using the consequences of these conflicts for their own purposes. Rockefeller created problems for transport workers, and then helped solve them.

Even before Standard Oil was formed, the implementation of this plan reduced the cost of transporting one barrel of oil from $2.40 to $1.65. This "small" advantage, multiplied by tens of thousands of barrels, was the key to the very big success of the future supercompany.

A whole series of secret agreements between the Rockefeller company and the transport workers appeared: a low price for Rockefeller and a high price for any other company. Under such conditions, competitors had no chance of success. Employees of competing oil producing and oil refining companies were bribed.

In 1870, the Standard Oil Company was incorporated with a registered capital of $1 million. And in this new company, the share of John Rockefeller was 27%. And from that moment on, a real war began between oil producers and refiners, behind the scenes of which Standard Oil was hiding, which organized this war.

As mentioned above, in those days, oil was transported in wooden barrels on open railway platforms. The oil evaporated and the buyer received only a part of the shipped cargo - the most valuable volatile oil fractions evaporated.

The Rockefeller group secretly owned the transport company Union Tanker Car Company, and the transport company had a patent for pressurized metal tank cars (oil is still transported in such tanks at the present time). The transport company allocated such wagons to Standard Oil's competitors, and John Rockefeller tracked the competitors' deliveries, their volumes and consumers. And as soon as a competitor began to invest in the development of his business, received loans and expanded the sales market, the command followed - do not allocate wagons. Competitors were going bankrupt, and Standard Oil was buying up bankrupts at a meager price. Rockefeller used this business expansion tactic for many years. Competitors could not even imagine who organized their bankruptcy and who is the real owner of the transport company.

Just because of collusion between Standard Oil and transport workers, the state treasury lost more than fifty million dollars annually. The independent oil companies that remained afloat turned to the state administration with a proposal to build a pipeline. The state authorities supported the idea and construction began in 1878. The pipe could destroy the monopoly that Rockefeller had created for so many years.

Standard Oil's response to the decision to build the Riverside pipeline was the recruitment of gangs who attacked the builders and blew up the already assembled sections of the highway. The oil pipeline was still completed. In response, the Rockefeller company built four such pipelines and announced a meager price for pumping oil. A rival pipeline went bankrupt and was bought out, again at a rock bottom price, by Standard Oil. It is clear that as soon as the competitor was eliminated, the prices for transporting oil increased significantly.

Why were the authorities silent? He did not remain silent. A Pennsylvania grand jury returned an indictment against Rockefeller and Flagler for organizing gang attacks. A demand was sent to New York for the arrest of John Rockefeller. However, for unknown reasons (ha-ha), this judicial act was not executed.

Success in all its splendor

This is where the real success began. Rockefeller negotiated with transport workers across the country and bought up small oil producing and oil refining companies. The competitors had little choice: go bankrupt or transfer property to the Rockefeller empire for a share of the shares. Thus, by 1880, more than 95% of all oil production and refining in North America. Having become a monopolist, Rockefeller raised the price of oil.

And ten years later, the Sherman Anti-Monopoly Act required Standard Oil to be broken up into a number of small and independent companies. Rockefeller complied: 34 small businesses were created. And in each of these enterprises, John Rockefeller had a controlling stake. Virtually every modern American oil company has a success story that begins with Standard Oil. To be more precise: their stories are the success story of John Davison Rockefeller.

Prior to the separation, Standard Oil, annually, brought to its main owner more than three million dollars. And in addition to Standard Oil, John Rockefeller owned 16 railway transport companies, 6 metallurgical enterprises, 6 shipping companies, a dozen firms that traded in real estate, a group of banks (9 pcs.) And many other properties, such as orange groves and huge land plots.

What else can be said about John Rockefeller and his success story?

He was a very religious man (?) and from his very childhood he gave ten percent of his income annually to the Baptist Church. In 1905, 10 percent amounted to one hundred million dollars.

He lived long life and died at the age of 97 (and dreamed of living to 100). He began (gradually) to move away from business management as early as 1897 and concentrated all his efforts on charity: the University of Chicago and the Rockefeller Medical Institute were built with his money, etc., etc., etc.

Before he died, he gave away more than $500 million for charitable purposes. But this was not the whole fortune: the son inherited about 460 million.

In 2007, Forbes magazine attempted to estimate Rockefeller's wealth in modern equivalents. It turned out 318 billion. Bill Gates topped the list that year with just $50 billion.

And finally, 12 golden rules for success from John Davison Rockefeller.

Success stories always make you think about how a person managed to achieve this very success, in what ways and by what means. If you have read this post in full and carefully, you may well have felt some disappointment: a Christian entrepreneur, high moral principles and collusion, bandits, tax evasion in particular large sizes. And it's all one person - John Davison Rockefeller. To decide who he was, as always, is up to you. One big life like any big story, is made up of small stories. Can these stories be considered success stories or should they be bashfully silent? To each his own. There was just such a person and this person lived. And these are no longer success stories - this is a historical fact.

Nearly similar stories, but such different fates. You can look at the path to success or. And think...

John Rockefeller - this name is known to every adult inhabitant of the earth. With no start-up capital other than his own hard work and perseverance, Rockefeller managed to put together the richest business empire in the world. During life and after death, a lot of rumors, gossip and various judgments circulated around this person. Enough time has passed to take a sober look at the history of the man who created himself and transformed our world.

Saint-Ecupery once said that we all come from childhood. Following this rule, consider the unique that John represents this personality began quite ordinary. Our hero was born in 1839 in Richford, New York. Hard worker family and father reveled. Accustomed to work since childhood, John regarded wealth as a blessing from God. Possessing a good heart, little John still managed to develop a sober mind and a certain isolation. A focused lifestyle set him apart from his peers. It seemed that he was constantly solving some super-task. Every Sunday, the Rockefeller family, excluding his father, attended church, and the boy found sincere pleasure in this. The pious mother passed on to her son the whole ethics of Protestantism, which required perseverance, work and virtue. The father, possessing an adventurous temperament, did not care at all about his wife and children, although in moments of enlightenment he told his son about successful transactions and ways of doing business. And yet, at a certain point, he simply ran away, leaving his family to their own devices. Therefore, tenderly caring for his mother until the end of her days, John Davison Rockefeller did not even go to his father's funeral.

At the age of 16, having left the farm, the young man began looking for work in Cleveland. After 6 weeks, his efforts were crowned with success, he received the long-awaited position of assistant accountant. All the energy and zeal went to work, with great difficulty he restrained himself from accounting calculations on Sundays when he attended church. Life in hard work and complete asceticism gave its first results. A promotion began, but John D. Rockefeller quickly realized that this way he could not earn the coveted $ 100,000. With little capital, he started his own food business.

On speculation during the Civil War, he managed to make his first serious capital. Yet the real wealth came with oil when the Standard Oil Company was founded in 1865. Winning the competition, he bought up the firms of his opponents until he became a monopolist in this area. Since then, the foundation of the great Rockefeller empire has been laid.

It often happens that a successful businessman is not happy in family life. John Rockefeller refuted this rule with his example. Having married for love, he found in the person of Laura Spelman not only a wonderful mother for his children, but also a comrade-in-arms, a like-minded person, whose support he valued above all else. Throughout his life, he went hand in hand with her, completely sharing the views and methods of education. Being richest family in America, they did not spend money on frilly outfits, they repaired old dresses with their own hands, strictly controlled expenses. Children from childhood were accustomed to work, to the fact that rewards must be earned. Market relations were transferred to the family. For certain correct actions and duties, money was given out, bad deeds were marked with fines. By the severity of his upbringing, John Rockefeller paid tribute to the need to grow a worthy replacement for his business.

With diabolical tenacity in business, Rockefeller understood the responsibility placed by God on the steward of such wealth. Therefore, charity work has become an integral part of his life. Sometimes he spent sums on gifts for other people's children that far exceeded the maintenance of his own offspring. And yet, both during his lifetime and after his death, he was accompanied by criticism regarding his money-grubbing. After all, in order to build universities and hospitals, it was necessary to profit at the expense of the whole nation.

The puritanical lifestyle and determination helped John Rockefeller to accomplish almost all the tasks that he set for himself. The last of these was to live a hundred years. It was not possible to fulfill it, it was not enough for a little over two years.

Plan
Introduction
1 Biography
1.1 Early years
1.2 Career
1.3 Charitable activities
1.4 Family

Bibliography

Introduction

John Davison Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller; July 8, 1839 (18390708), Richford, New York - May 23, 1937, Ormond Beach, Florida) - American entrepreneur, philanthropist, the first "dollar" billionaire in the history of mankind.

In 1870 he founded the Standard Oil Company and ran it until his official retirement in 1897. Standard Oil was founded in Ohio as a partnership of John Rockefeller, his brother William Rockefeller, Henry Flager, Jabez Bostwick, chemist Samuel Andreus, and one non-voting partner, Stephen Harkens. As the demand for kerosene and gasoline soared, the Rockefellers' wealth also increased, and he became the richest man in the world in his day, with a net worth of US$1.4 billion (1937 nominal) or 1.54% of US GDP at the time of his death. Adjusted for inflation, the NYTimes estimates his wealth at around $192 billion in 2006 equivalent.

Rockefeller was one of the greatest philanthropists in the United States, the founder of the Rockefeller Foundation, who donated large sums to medical research, education, in particular, to fight yellow fever. He also founded the University of Chicago and Rockefeller University. Rockefeller was a believing Baptist and donated part of his income to support church institutions throughout his life. He always preached healthy lifestyle life and a complete rejection of alcohol and tobacco. He had four daughters and one son, who inherited the management of the Rockefeller Foundation.

1. Biography

1.1. early years

Rockefeller was the second of six children in a family of German Protestants William Aver Rockefeller (10/13/1810-05/11/1906) and Eliza Davison (09/12/1813-03/28/1889). He was born in Richford, New York. His father was first a lumberjack, and then an itinerant merchant who called himself a "botanical doctor" and sold various elixirs and was rarely at home. According to the recollections of the neighbors, John's father was considered a strange man, trying to evade the difficult physical labor albeit with a good sense of humour. By nature, William was a risk-taker, which helped him build up the small amount of capital that allowed him to buy land for $3,100. However, the propensity for risk was side by side with foresight, so part of the capital was invested in various enterprises. Eliza, John's mother, ran the household, was a very devout Baptist, and was often in poverty, as her husband was constantly away for long periods of time and she constantly had to save on everything. She tried not to pay attention to reports of oddities and adultery of her husband.

John Rockefeller recalled that his father early years told him about the enterprises in which he participated, explained the principles of doing business. John wrote about his father: "He often bargained with me and bought various services from me. He taught me how to buy and sell. My father simply "trained" me to get rich!"

When John was seven years old, he began to raise turkeys for sale, worked part-time digging potatoes for neighbors. He recorded all the results of commercial activities in his little book. He invested all the money he earned in a porcelain piggy bank, and already at the age of 13 he lent a farmer friend $ 50 at the rate of 7.5% per annum. His father's upbringing was continued by his mother, from whom he learned hard work and discipline. Since the family was large, and the enterprises of William Rockefeller did not always end well, she often had to save money. "I was brought up on the principle: work and save," said John Rockefeller.

At 13, John went to school in Richford. In his autobiography, he wrote: "It was difficult for me to study, in order to prepare my lessons, I had to study hard." Rockefeller successfully graduated from high school and entered Cleveland College, where he taught accounting and the basics of commerce, but soon came to the conclusion that three months of accounting courses and a thirst for activity would bring much more than years of college education. He leaves college and goes headlong into practice.

1.2. Career

Rockefeller was a hard-working, purposeful and devout Christian, for which the partners nicknamed him "The Deacon".

In 1853, the Rockefeller family moved to Cleveland. Since John Rockefeller was the eldest child in the family, at the age of 16 he went to look for work. By that time, he was already quite good at mathematics, and even completed a three-month accounting course in Cleveland. However, finding a job was not easy. Six weeks of searching were wasted. Until John was finally hired as an assistant accountant at Hugh Tuttle. Hugh Tuttle was involved in real estate and shipping. It is worth noting that it was such a time that for the first three months Rockefeller studied rather than worked. Those. did everything for free. Thanks to his ability in mathematics, he rose to the position of an accountant.

However, studying brought Rockefeller real pleasure. He started his working day at 6:30 am and ended after 10 pm. Studying at Hewitt and Tuttle gave a lot to the future oil tycoon. John Rockefeller, in general, quickly enough was able to establish himself as a competent professional. And as soon as the manager of the Hewitt and Tuttle company left his post, John was immediately appointed to his place. True, at the same time he was given a salary of 600 dollars. This greatly offended Rockefeller, as his predecessor received 2000. John left the company. It was his first and last job for hire.

Just at this time, the English entrepreneur John Maurice Clark was looking for a partner with a capital of $ 2,000 to create a joint business. At that time, Rockefeller had accumulated $ 800, he borrows the missing amount from his father at 10% per annum, and on April 27, 1857, he becomes a junior partner of Clark and Rochester. The Clark and Rochester trading house traded in hay, grain, meat and other goods.

Rockefeller was lucky - the southern states announced their withdrawal from the Union and a civil war began. The federal government needed hundreds of thousands of uniforms and rifles, millions of rounds of ammunition, tons of meat, sugar, tobacco and biscuits. Starting capital$4,000 was not enough to fulfill these orders, a loan was needed. However, the company was young, and banks preferred not to take risks. Rockefeller took it upon himself to negotiate with the bank, but he was 90% sure of the refusal. John still came to the director of the bank and frankly, without concealing anything, told him what was the matter. The sincerity of the merchant impressed the director of the bank, and he agreed to give a loan.

As a result, Rockefeller made good money and could afford to start a family. He married Laura Celestina Spelman, whom he met while still a student. Pious, like her husband, teacher Laura Spelman, however, had a practical mindset. Rockefeller once remarked: "Without her advice, I would have remained a poor man."

After some time, Rockefeller stumbled upon a real gold mine: in the evening, in all the houses, from the palaces of the Vanderbilts and Carnegie to the shacks of Chinese emigrants, kerosene lamps lit up, and kerosene, as you know, is made from oil. Rockefeller associate Maurice Clark said, "John believed in only two things on earth - the Baptist creed and oil."

In 1870, John Rockefeller meets a chemist (name unknown), who tells him about kerosene. This is how the Standard Oil Company was founded. Rockefeller started looking for oil. At the beginning of his career, the future billionaire noticed that the entire oil business was some kind of chaotic machine. He understood that only by putting things in order in his work, it would be possible to think about some kind of commercial success. This is what he did with his partner. To begin with, a company charter was created. In order to motivate employees, Rockefeller at first decided to abandon wages by rewarding them with shares. He believed that thanks to this they would work more actively, because they would consider themselves part of the company. And their final income will depend on the success of the business.

The business began to generate income, and Rockefeller began to slowly buy up other oil companies. One by one, small businesses that couldn't cost too much. This strategy did not sit well with many Americans. Rockefeller negotiated with railroad companies to regulate transport prices, so Standard Oil received lower prices than its competitors: it paid 10 cents for transporting a barrel of oil, while competitors paid 35 cents, and the difference was 25 cents from each barrel. into Rockefeller's pocket. Competitors could not resist him, Rockefeller put them before a choice: to unite with him, or ruin. Most of them chose to become part of Standard Oil in exchange for a share of the shares.

Be that as it may, by 1880, thanks to numerous small and medium-sized mergers, 95% of America's oil production was in the hands of Rockefeller. Having become a monopolist, he acted according to the rule "it is easier for a monopolist to raise prices than to increase sales." Standard Oil becomes at this time largest company in the world. True, not for long. In 10 years, the famous Sherman law against monopolies will be released. Rockefeller will respond by splitting Standard Oil into 34 small companies (in all he will have a controlling stake). Thanks to this law, John Rockefeller becomes even richer than before. By the way, it is worth noting that almost all the current major oil companies have gone from Standard Oil. For example, this can be said about such giants as Mobile, Exxon, Chevron and others.

With age, the mind did not change Rockefeller. He ruled his empire with an iron fist: Standard Oil alone brought in three million dollars a year (today it would be fifty million). He owned sixteen railroad companies, six steel companies, nine real estate firms, six shipping companies, nine banks, and three orange groves, all of which yielded bountiful cash crops.

John Rockefeller (1839-1937) - American businessman and multimillionaire, a man whose name has become a symbol of wealth. He was hardworking, purposeful and pious, for which the partners nicknamed him "the devil." The workers' wives scared their children: "Don't cry, otherwise Rockefeller will take you!" The paradox was that the richest man in the world was most proud of his impeccable morality...
John Davison Rockefeller was born July 8, 1839 in New York State. His upbringing was mainly carried out by his mother, an ardent Baptist. “She and the priest inspired me from an early age that I had to work and save,” Rockefeller later recalled.
Doing business was part of family education. Even in early childhood, John bought a pound of sweets, divided it into small piles and sold it at a premium to his own sisters.
At the age of seven, he sold the turkeys he had grown to his neighbors, and he lent the $50 he earned from this to a neighbor at 7% per annum.
"He was a very quiet boy," one of the townspeople recalled many years later, "he was always thinking." From the outside, John looked distracted: it seemed that the child was constantly struggling with some insoluble problem. The impression was deceptive - the boy was distinguished by a tenacious memory, a stranglehold and unshakable calmness: playing checkers, he harassed his partners, thinking about each move for half an hour.
The stern, dry-skinned face of John Davison Rockefeller and his boyish eyes devoid of luster really frightened those around him.

Few knew the other, human side of his nature. John Davison Rockefeller hid the feelings inherent in people in the farthest pocket and fastened it with all buttons. Meanwhile, he was a sensitive boy: when his sister died, John ran into the backyard, threw himself on the ground and lay like that all day.
Yes, and having matured, Rockefeller did not become such a monster as he was portrayed: once he asked about a classmate whom he once liked (he just liked - he was a highly moral young man); upon learning that she was a widow and in poverty, the owner of Standard Oil immediately granted her a pension. It is almost impossible to judge what he really was: Rockefeller subordinated all thoughts, all feelings, all desires to one great goal - to get rich without fail
Rockefeller never graduated from high school. At 16, with a three-month accounting course under his belt, he began looking for work in Cleveland, where his family then lived. After six weeks of searching, he got a job as an assistant accountant in the trading company "Hewitt and Tuttle" (Hewitt and Tuttle). At first he was paid $17 a month, and then $25. When receiving them, John felt guilty, finding the reward excessively high.
In order not to waste a single cent, the thrifty Rockefeller bought a small ledger from his first salary, where he wrote down all his expenses, and carefully kept it all his life. But this was his first and last job for hire. At the age of 18, John D. Rockefeller became the junior partner of businessman Maurice Clark.

The American Civil War of 1861-1865 helped get the new company on its feet. The warring armies paid generously for the necessary things, and partners supplied them with flour, pork and salt. By the end of the war in Pennsylvania, near Cleveland, oil was discovered, and the city was at the center of an oil rush.
By 1864, Clark and Rockefeller were already in full swing with Pennsylvania oil. A year later, Rockefeller decided to focus only on the oil business, but Clark was against it. Then, for $72,500, John bought his share from a partner and plunged headlong into oil.
In 1870 he created Standard Oil. Together with his friend and business partner Henry Flagler, he began to gather disparate oil producing and refining enterprises into a single powerful oil trust. Competitors could not resist him, Rockefeller put them before a choice: to unite with him, or ruin. If beliefs did not work, the dirtiest methods were used. For example, Standard Oil reduced prices in the local market of a competitor, forcing him to work at a loss. Or Rockefeller sought to stop the supply of oil to recalcitrant refiners. For this, front companies were used, which in reality were part of the Standard Oil group. Unbeknownst to many refiners, the local rivals putting pressure on them were actually part of the growing Rockefeller empire.
For the success of such operations, they were kept in the strictest confidence. Agents of Standard Oil exchanged ciphered dispatches with the parent company. Even the visitors to Standard Oil's management weren't supposed to see each other. The company used an extensive system of industrial espionage to gather information about competitors and market conditions.
Standard Oil's filing cabinet contained data on virtually every oil buyer in the country, the use of every barrel sold by independent dealers, and even where every grocer from the Isle of Man to California buys kerosene.
By 1879, the "war of conquest" was actually over. Standard Oil controlled 90% of US refining capacity. Rockefeller himself met this victory dispassionately - as an obvious inevitability.
In 1890, the Sherman Antitrust Act was passed to crack down on monopolies. Until 1911, Rockefeller and his partners managed to circumvent this law, but then Standard Oil was divided into thirty-four companies (virtually all of today's major American oil companies trace their history back to Standard Oil).

Personal life:
Rockefeller was married to Laura Celestine Spelman, whom he met while still a student. Pious, like her husband, teacher Laura Spelman, however, had a practical mindset. Rockefeller once remarked: "Without her advice, I would have remained a poor man."

Biographers write that Rockefeller did his best to teach children to work, modesty and unpretentiousness. John created a kind of model of a market economy at home: he appointed his daughter Laura as a “director” and ordered the children to keep detailed ledgers.

Each child received a few cents for killing a fly, for sharpening a pencil, for an hour of music lessons, for a day of abstaining from sweets. Each of the children had his own garden bed, where the labor of cleaning the weeds also had its price. But for being late for breakfast, the little Rockefellers were fined.

Rockefeller fortune.
In 1917, the personal fortune of John Davison Rockefeller was estimated at between $900 million and $1 billion, which was 2.5% of the then GDP of the United States. In the modern equivalent, Rockefeller owned approximately $150 billion. Until now, he remains richest man in the world.

By the end of his life, Rockefeller, in addition to shares in each of Standard Oil's 32 subsidiaries, owned 16 railroad and six steel companies, nine banks, six shipping companies, nine real estate firms, and three orange groves.

The possessions of Standard Oil in 1903 included about 400 enterprises, 90 thousand miles of pipelines, 10 thousand railroad tanks, 60 ocean tankers, 150 river steamers. The company transported and processed more than 80% of the oil produced in the United States. The share of Standard Oil in world oil trade exceeded 70%.

Rockefeller's donations during his life exceeded $500 million. Of these, about $80 million was received by the University of Chicago, at least $100 million - by the Baptist Church. John Rockefeller also created and funded the New York Institute for Medical Research, the Council for General Education and the Rockefeller Foundation.

John Davison Rockefeller is the richest man in the world in the history of mankind.

The future billionaire was born on July 8, 1839 in Richford, New York. Both parents, William Avery Rockefeller and Louise Celanto, were members of the Baptist Church. The family brought up six children, of which John was the second oldest. William worked as a traveling salesman and from childhood brought up in children the ability to trade. To do this, his father paid John to do household chores. During the periods of William's departures, the mother, who did not work anywhere, but was engaged only in housework, had to save money, and Louise instilled this ability in her offspring.

The world's first billionaire John D. Rockefeller

Little John is already early age showed commercial ingenuity - he sold sweets to his sisters, which he bought in bulk. And at the age of 7, the boy was hired by his neighbors on a farm, where he earned his first money by picking potatoes and growing turkeys. From the first days of his working life, Rockefeller started an account book, where he carefully entered income and expenses.

Young John gave the impression of a quiet, thoughtful boy to those around him. A lean and unemotional child thought for a long time and was in no hurry to make a decision. But in fact, John was a very sensitive boy, and experienced loss. sister who died as an infant. After the girl's death, John lay face down on the grass far from home for 12 hours.

At school, Rockefeller did not like to study, although teachers noted the boy's tenacious memory and ability to think logically. During his student years, John started a loan shark business. Rockefeller realized that by lending small amounts at low interest, you can earn without difficulty. The boy did not want to become a slave to money and work day and night for a salary, John decided to make money his own slaves and make them work for him. After leaving school, John became a student at a commercial college, so the young businessman got a three-month accounting course, where he mastered the necessary basics of money management.

Business

In 1855, John got his first and only paid job at Hewitt & Tuttle in the accounting department. The young man started out with a salary of $17, but a few months later the young man was promoted to $25. A year later, Rockefeller is appointed manager of the company. John began to receive a salary of 20 times the accounting salary. But the ambitious young man was not satisfied with this amount, since the previous leader was paid much more and, having not worked for a year, John quits to start his own business.

In order to become a partner of a British businessman, Rockefeller had to borrow $1,200 from his own father at 10% per annum. Having collected the necessary $ 2,000, Rockefeller became a partner and owner of the shares of Clark and Rochester. The company traded in agricultural products. Rockefeller quickly won the trust of partners with business acumen, intuition and sincerity. The young man took up the management of the financial affairs of the enterprise.

In the second half of the 19th century, the development of a new market area, the oil refining business, began in America, as kerosene lamps began to be popular in everyday life. John Davison Rockefeller invites the practicing chemist Samuel Andrews to cooperate and makes the scientist a partner in the new firm of Andrews and Clark. Previous partner Clark did not want to participate in such a business, and John had to buy out a stake in the company and take over the management of the business.

At the age of 31, Rockefeller created Standard Oil, which deals with full cycle production of kerosene, ranging from oil production, ending with the sale of finished products. A feature of doing business was that John did not pay salaries to employees in cash. The businessman gave promotion with the shares of the enterprise. This approach allowed employees to work with greater responsibility, since now well-being directly depended on the success of the company.

The development of Rockefeller's business went at a rapid pace. Due to his entrepreneurial spirit and ability to negotiate with influential people, John achieved for own company reduced prices for freight transportation by rail. Compared to competitors, Standard Oil products were transported 2-3 times cheaper. Rockefeller thus forced other oil companies to sell production to Standard Oil. Thus, an enterprising businessman turned into a monopolist.

In 1890, Senator Sherman's antitrust law was passed in the United States, which was directed against the activities of the Standard Oil Company. Rockefeller for 20 years was forced to split production into 34 controlled enterprises. In each of them, John secured the right to own a controlling stake. This division of business had a positive effect on the capital of the magnate; Rockefeller increased his own income many times over.

State

Every year, John Rockefeller's income from the activities of Standard Oil was $ 3 million. At the time of his death, according to experts, the fortune of the oil tycoon was $ 1.4 billion. The company owned 70% of all world oil fields. In terms of the current dollar rate, this is $ 318 billion or 1.5% of the United States GDP. Rockefeller owned 16 railroad companies, 6 steel mills, and 6 steamship companies. The businessman owned 9 banks, 9 real estate firms.

Rockefeller at the end of his life surrounded himself with luxury, but did not advertise this to society. The family of the magnate owned orange groves, villas and mansions, a land plot of 273 hectares. John Rockefeller's favorite game was golf, so the billionaire had a playing field at his disposal for personal use. The tycoon explained his own well-being by discipline and maintaining the 12 golden rules of life that John developed in his youth.

Charity

John Rockefeller attended a Protestant church from childhood and, as an exemplary Christian, from the very first earnings he began to transfer tithes for the needs of the parish he attended. The oilman did not change his own habit until the end of his life. The tycoon transferred $ 100 million. In addition to donations to the church, Rockefeller did a lot of charity work. John transferred sums of money to the University of Chicago, the New York Institute for Medical Research, of which John was the founder. At the beginning of the 20th century, Rockefeller created the "Council for General Education" and the "Rockefeller Foundation".

The oil magnate wrote a number of biographical books, the first of which was the 1909 edition of Memories of People and Events. In 1910, Rockefeller's book How I Made $500,000,000, about the history of enrichment, was published. In 1913, the entrepreneur wrote the book "Memoirs", in which he outlined everything Interesting Facts own biography.

Personal life

At 25, John D. Rockefeller married teacher Laura Celestia Spelman from a wealthy family. The girl attracted the groom with piety. Young people were united by a mutual feeling of love for each other and views on life and family well-being. Both were extremely economical and unpretentious in their desires.

In the Rockefeller family, 4 daughters were born and the only heir is the son of John D. Rockefeller Jr., who became the successor of his father's work. Even when Rockefeller acquired the Cleveland refinery, the family continued to live in rented housing and did not keep servants. As the oil tycoon himself wrote, John owes his commercial success to his wife.

After the death of his wife, John Rockefeller lived for a long time. The oilman fell in love with women's society, gradually got used to wearing expensive suits. Rockefeller's favorite headdress was a straw hat, in which the elderly businessman often posed for photos.

John brought up children in an original way. Each child had a ledger that recorded cash rewards and expenses. In the Rockefeller house there was a certain system of rewarding children for work. John rewarded his daughters and son for their refusal of any benefits. For example, for a day without sweets, a child was entitled to a sum of money.

John D. Rockefeller Jr. increased the wealth of the family corporation many times over. And five grandchildren, the most famous of which were Nelson, Winthrop and, participated in the political and economic life of the United States until the beginning of the 21st century.

Death

John Rockefeller had two dreams in life that did not come true: to live to be 100 years old and earn $ 100 thousand. But the entrepreneur died at the age of 97, and his fortune was $ 192 billion. John Rockefeller died on May 23, 1937 from a heart attack in Florida .

Quotes

Famous oil tycoon quotes:

Whoever works all day has no time to earn money;

Your well-being depends on your own decisions;

If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it.

12 Rockefeller Rules

1. Work less for people. The more you work not for yourself, the faster you get poorer. The word "work" has the root "slave".
2. Saving money is the right step to success. Buy products where it is cheaper or in bulk, prepare a list of what you need in advance, purchase products according to the list.
3. If you are poor, start doing business. If you don’t have a penny at all, then you should open a business right now, without delaying even for a minute.
4. The path to success, the road to great wealth, is through passive income.
5. Dream of earning at least $50,000 a month, and possibly more.
6. Money comes to you through other people. Communication, goodwill makes people rich. An unsociable person rarely becomes rich.
7. A poor environment, unsuccessful people pull you into poverty and failure. Surround yourself with winners and optimists.
8. Don't give yourself an excuse to put off the first step towards achieving your goal - there isn't one.
9. Learn the biographies and thoughts of the world's richest successful people. The life story of a successful person will help to fulfill the desires of everyone - this is the meaning of this quote.
10. Dreams are the most important thing in your life. The main thing is to dream and believe that dreams will come true. A person begins to die when he stops dreaming.
11. Help people not for money, but from the bottom of your heart. Give 10% of profits to charity. That is, everyone should help those in need. This is evidenced by the success story of John Rockefeller.
12. Create business systems and enjoy your earned money. The meaning of this quote is that a person must work in order to live happily, and not stupidly accumulate wealth.