The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-05-31
VIM. ROCKEFELLER
IS 70 YEARS OLD
Believed to Be the Second
Wealthiest Man in the
United States.

New York, May 31.-William Rookie
Teller who. next to his elder brother.
John D. Rockefeller. Is probably the
richest man In the United States quiet.
~ celebrated his SEVENTEEN birthday
anniversary today. Mr.. Rockefeller
was born in Tioga county, New York.
but removed with his parents early In
his boyhood to Cleveland and attended
the public schools In that city.
The faculties Of perception and ac-
quisitiveness were the most conspicu-
Gus traits In his character. when at
the age OF seventeen he dropped his
school books and became a book.keep-
or for miller. Before he was twenty.
one he had formed connection with
q rival -four mill and had just turned
twenty-one when he became partner
In the concern. In 1864 he went into
the oil business In a modest way with
his brother, John d., In Cleveland.
The brothers. who associated with
them Samuel Andrews, a veteran In
the oil business. built a little refinery
which they called the Standard Oil
Works. This was the modest begin
ming OF the gigantic corporation which
the supreme court OF the United States
supreme court recently decided was
too powerful to be permitted to exist
and ordered that Il be dissolved with
In six months.
william Rockefeller's personality,
his millions and the interests with
which he IL Identified. have always
been overshadowed. In a measure, by
the great wealth OF his brother. Never.
theless. the wise ones in the financial
world have been heard to declare more
than once that William was the braini-
est member OF the Rockefeller family.
He has been the speculative member
of the Standard Oil group OF capital.
lists and has engineered all of the vast
deals Of that combination In the stock
market Since he became vice presi-
dent Of the Standard Oil corporation
many years ago he has been intimately
associated with all the qualifications Of
the gigantic monopoly. and. while his
name 10 not as conspicuous as that Of
his brother. he Ia said to possess wild.
or knowledge in detail OF the corpora
ton whose power has been spread to
all countries Of the world.
Mr.. Rockefeller has lived under a
tremendous nervous strain for more
than forty years. His early asso-
ciates In Standard Oil he has has fol-
lowed to the grave one by one. Five
of the heads of the great corporation
have passed away during the last two
or three years. including Henry II.
Rogers. whose lamentable taking OF Is
attributed by his friends to the worry
and mental strain resulting from the
government suits against the Standard
Oil. That William Rockefeller has
been able to Withstand the terrific
strain of his position Is all the more
surprising when II Ia remembered that
more than Ave years ago cables
brought word from Europe that his
death was regarded as Imminent. At
that time he was reported to be suf-
fering from an incurable malady-noth-
Ing less than cancer of the stomach
and It was not believed that he could
recover. Today. however. Mr.. Rookie
Teller 10 apparently as well as he has
been In many years and to all appear.
ances he takes ne keen an interest In
business affairs as he ever did.
In addition to forming part of the d.
rectorate Of the Standard Oil and the
great National City bank. William
Rockefeller Ia a director in dozen
trust companies and in many OF the
largest financial and industrial corpor.
atoms Of America. He IL not as veal.
thy a. his brother. but manages ia
worry along on the income from for
tune estimated at between $75.00,00O