John Rockefeller Sr. was one of the wealthiest men in contemporary history and a famous philanthropist. He lived in a time of “lasting change” that laid the Western foundation for the future concepts of philanthropy in general, and specifically for American philanthropy (National Philanthropic Trust, 2016). However, his way to charity gradually developed throughout his life, starting from early childhood. Rockefeller grew up in a big low-income family in New York and Ohio. Despite being raised in not the best conditions, the boy had always been diligent and hardworking (Chernow, 2007). He attended Cleveland’s Central High School, the first high school in Cleveland, and afterward studied business and bookkeeping in college. His first job as a clerk, which he got at 16, already served as the beginning of his philanthropic activities as he gave six percent of his earnings to charity, mainly church-related. The religiosity of his family was a crucial factor in the formation of philanthropic inclinations as Baptism assumed hard work and wealth as God’s gift.
In 1859 he started his own commission business in partnership with Maurice Clark, profitable even in the first years. He gave money to the Union Cause during the Civil War, though he did not directly participate in it. As Abraham Lincoln came to power, the government started subsidizing the oil industry, and Rockefeller shifted his focus to oil production, building his oil refinery in 1863. Within several years he expanded his business so intensely that he became the owner of the largest oil refinery in the world. In 1870 Rockefeller abolished the partnership of Rockefeller, Andrews & Flagler and founded Standard Oil, which by the early 1880s controlled some 90 percent of US refineries and pipelines. (Chernow, 2007). The strategy was to absorb the weak companies and improve their efficiency, thus, eliminating the competitors and expanding his company both horizontally and vertically at the same time (Segall, 2001). Such a development also benefitted the customers, and kerosene became available for the working class for the first time in history. However, in 1882 The Standard Oil Trust was founded, and the firm began to be criticized by numerous politicians due to its monopolistic nature.
As Rockefeller’s business and wealth were expanding, the amount of money he gave to charity was also increasing. He donated to education, public health causes, science, and the arts, being advised by Frederick Taylor Gates – a Baptist clergyman (Coon, 1990). In his own words, he was also greatly impacted by Swami Vivekananda and became engaged in philanthropy even more after he met with him in 1893 (Rockefeller, 1984). He gave money to Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary in Atlanta for African-American women, inspired by his wife, who supported women’s equality (Laughlin, 2001). The University of Chicago – now one of the top universities in the world – is also his credit, before being just a small Baptist college. As per Gates ‘ advice, a particular focus of the philanthropic activity was medical science. He founded the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in New York, giving birth to 23 Nobel laureates. Another major achievement was the eradication of hookworm disease with the help of the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission.
The first Rockefeller private organization – General Education Board – was founded in 1903 to support education in the United States. In 1913 John D. Rockefeller, along with his son and Frederick Taylor Gates, created Rockefeller Foundation that since contributed to the Green Revolution, which helped with the global hunger crisis by increasing crop yields (National Philanthropic Trust, 2016). Among other notable projects, one can mention the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and Harvard School of Public Health, the first such institutions in the United States, or the development of the vaccine against yellow fever. The foundation has been functioning till now, under the presidentship of Rajiv Shah, being one of the most prominent US organizations by the amount of money given to charity. According to OECD (2021), the top recipients of organizations nowadays are UNICEF and WHO, getting 3,9 and 2,5 million US dollars respectively in 2019.
“Think of giving not only as a duty but as a privilege,” – the quote which reflects the life principle of John Rockefeller. Starting from his childhood, influenced by religion, he decided to earn money to be able to help others more. On the one hand, it is possible to consider giving as a duty as it is ethical to help the weak when a person has such an opportunity and resources. Still, this quote focuses on charity being a privilege, and I agree with this opinion. If people can make the lives of others better, it is a pure privilege, and what is more important, this privilege is available to everyone. Having analyzed the background of Rockefeller, who donated a part of his first earnings at the age of sixteen, I feel deeply inspired to follow his example. Hence, just altering one’s attitude to philanthropy, the outcome will differ significantly as well, when giving is not a matter of religious principles or reputation, but a person’s will and desire.
References
Chernow, R. (2007). Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. Vintage
Coon, H. (1990). Money to burn: great American foundations and their money. Transaction Publishers.
Laughlin, R. (2001). John D. Rockefeller: Oil Baron and Philanthropist. Biography Reference Center.
National Philanthropic Trust. (2016). A History of Modern Philanthropy. Web.
OECD. (2021). Rockefeller Foundation. In Development Co-operation Profiles. OECD Publishing.
Rockefeller, J. D. (1984). Random Reminiscences of Men and Events. Sleepy Hollow Press and Rockefeller Archive Center.
Segall, G. (2001). John D. Rockefeller: Anointed With Oil. Oxford University Press.