El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-01-10
Rockefeller Gets So a Week
Oil King starts Business Life as a
BOokkeeBer at Small SALARY;
Amasses Many Millions.
rr-as-r,,, 4 TBor,-.
BY Madison {. Peters
? nHN DAVIsON ROCKEFELLER ~

I -
Ohm DAWSON ROCKEFELLER wa .
horn at Richford, Tioga county. N
y Julv 9, 1889. His grandfatber
Godfrey Rockefeller, had settled in this
mart of the state and there married
J Lucy Avery This Lucy Avery was de-
[ seconded from captain James Avery who
! played a prominent part in the history
/ of New London, Connecticut Several
/ Of +ba Avervs fought in the revolution
| and Colonial wars.
| The father of John d. was William
! Avery Rockefeller and his mother was
! Eliza Dawson They were compare
/ lively speaking poor William A
! Rockefeller held a section of land
/ which was rather unproducttve. Tioga
| county is not famous as an agricultural
! region He got tired of the place and
] when his eldest son, John d. was Il
years old. The boy did not get any
| chance for an extensive education. For
a short time he went to the Cleveland
high school, but did not exhibit any
talent beyond the ordinary; certainly
he gave no indication of the acumen
and judgment which at a later time
was to make him the richest man on
earth.
Takes No Part In Sports.
While a school boy he Joined the
Erie street NOW Euclid avenue) Bap-
fist church. of which he has remained
since a member. He became active in
its affairs and was put on the board
of trustees. AS a youth Rockefeller
was silent and serious, never took part
in the sport of the other boys and kept
much to himself In 1855 he took a
summer course at the Commercial col
lege of Cleveland and the following
winter obtained position as assistant
bOokkeeper in the commission house
of Hewitt and futile at a salary Of
So a week He lived at home and chung
to his dollars. He saved nearly all his
weekly wage He applied himself to
business and was present on the stroke
of the clock and did not leave until
every other emplOye had left the build
ing. All this time he was learning the
commission business as well and un-
derStOOd every branch of the trade.
Saves Up $1,000.
When he had saved $1,000 he decided
to go into business for himself but
the amount he found was not sufficient
from his father, and with Morris B.
Clark, another young man who under
stood the commission business, ne
opened up a commission house under
the title of Clark and Rockefeller. This /
firm continued until 1868. Rockefeller Z
the meantime Rockefeller was trying /
his hand at something else.
In 1859 the first oil well had been !
opened up at Titusville, Pa. and every /
/
bled forth its supply of crude petrO- I
leum, but it could not be utilized in /
the state in which it came from the
earth. Just then a young man named I
Sam Andrews appeared on the scene. !
He gave his attention to the oil supply
with the result that he found out a 4
means of refining it and making II 4
available for lighting and other pur- !
poses Rockefeller heard of Andrews /
and made up his mind to meet him.
Rockefeller by this time had money,
a few thousands saved, and Andrews
had no money. The two met with the
result that Rockefeller and Andrews
formed a partnership for the purpose
of refining oil and this was the be-
ginning of the great industry with
which the name of Rockefeller is in
separately identified. Rockefeller, the
first year. contributed $4,000 TO the en- I
terprise. So well did it repay him that
the next year he was able to put
100000 into it. His brother William !
was taken into the concern and a big
refinery was put up in Cleveland
known as the Standard Oil refinery. a
branch office was opened in New York
In 1870, and Henry NJ Flagler was ad-
mitted into the concern.
Forms Standard OIL Company.
In a short time all the interests were :
combined under the title of the Stand
ard Oil company with capital of
sLOOO,OOO. John D. Rockefeller was
made president He also became pres
dent of the National Refiners assO-
cation. 1t was not long until the
huge business had swallowed I'D all the
oil refineries in the country In 1872
he Standard Oil company became own
ars of all the oil wells in New York
tate and Pennsylvania Two hundred
miles of pipe came under its control
and several hundred thousand barrels
IF oil tankaSe. A cOOperage factory
began to turn out 5000 barrels a day.
iistilleries were erected which had a
Two
I'll daily, warehouses for the storage
1f petroleum were built and great
works for the manufacture of paints
md CLUES were opened These were /
ne outgrowths of the great combina-
Standard OIL Trust Follows.
In 1891 the Standard Oil trust was
ormed with a capital of S7O.OOO000
which vas subsequently increased to
95,UGO,OOO. About the same time the :
standard Oil company Of New York.
vas incorporated and the gigantic cor
'oration extended its work all over the !
ountry. The products were shipped /
o every country on the globe and the !
markets of the whole world came I'M
er the control Of the company One
hundred thousand men We're employed
M the exports amounted to 500, O0O,-
90 yearly
Dividends so far this year (1e13,
how that the former Standard Oil
have declared a total of III
ereent on the basis of the 500. 900. 900
uthorized capital of the parent com s
any against 81 percent declared in /
yl2. Dividends disbursed up to the ! j
resent year 1913) aggregate more
han s111OOO,OO0.
In addition to his oil interests. Mr.
owns large tracts of lands
nd iron mines. and lines Of vessels
n the Great Lakes. He is almost !
llionaire and the wealthiest man the /
'orld has ever known. He has given
lllllons to the cause of education and I
ther philanthropic purposes. To the
University of Chicago. his chief Gifts I
ave gone. al least $7O0O.0OO. !
Mr.. Rockefeller has given millions
the Baptist denomination He gives
way hundreds of thousands of dollars Z
to private charities of which
ne world never hears word. 7
tArftcies by this noted writer are res-- I
lar features of The FL PasO HeraId17 t