The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-01-29
Nil KINGS HEIR
IS FORTY TODAY
Iohn 0. Rockefeller Ir. will Be One
of Worlds Richest Men


,.l,or. Jr, reached his fortieth birth"
,o,. anniversary today. having been
I'm January 30. 1874. There was no
.,,ontatious celebration of the ami"
..orsorv at the Rockefeller home. sur
.,,dod by the members of his family,
Afr Rockefeller passed the day with
milo variance from his customary
routine. Presents ana messages OF
,.ood wishes were received from rela-
,i,,s and intimate friends while some
called in person to offer their consrat-
uaions
n ne lives, and he Is i'm the best Of
he,ltb now. young Mr.. Rockefeller will
.ona day undoubtedly be one of the
richest men in the world. AS the only
,or and principal! heir of John -.
Rockefeller he will inherit the bulk of
tho colossal fortune which the latter
b,s accumulated H. the oil business, in
coai. iron and copper mines, in rail-
read and steamship lines and i'm al
most countless other industries. The
,ytrnt of the fortune can only he
,,pqbly estimated. The owner himself
is rcportcd 10 have said that he could
NOT estimate his wealth within ten or
fifteen million dollars.
And vet the heir To this vast wealth
is scarcely known To the general pub
ic From time Ia time, mainly be-
,gt,sc of his activities in connection
with the Bible class of the Fifth Ave
nue. BAPTIST church, his name has APP
ucarcd n public prints, but he has at
uortcd far less attention than most
men of his prominence.
Began Career as Clerk.
The standard OH magnate had al
ready laid the foundation Of his wealth
when his only son was born. OF the
bo,'s early days little is known, except
IIe was educated by private tutors and
then WAS sent To Brown University.
This university was chosen, it is said
10 keep hm from the temptations of
larger colleges Al Brown the young
man was known as "A hard student, but
not as q recluse. lie was fond of swim
ming and skating and was manager of
the football team He was not over
robust at that time and this fact prob
ably kept him from active participa-
ton ia the more strenuous sports.
Soon after leaving college he en-
tered the offices of the Standard oil
company in this city, and for years
hereafter h" worked as hard as any of
ihe clerks. Here he gained practical
experience I'm many phases of bust
ness and finance. and soon became
siarer ut his fathers business burdens.
he astoushed Wall street in 1900 by
engineering a deal in United States
Leather whereby he Is credited with |
making $1,000 900 Following this he
directed copper and transportation
deal which largely advanced freight |
rates and gave the Rcckcfellers con- |
troll of the shipping of the Great Lakes. |
He became a director in many of the |
great corporations in which his father !
was Interested
Eschews Bad Habits.
The private life Of John ID. Rockefel- |
been. lie has never smoked or drank, |
or induleed in any weakening dissipa-
Ton II" has the same implicit faith
IN the Christian religion, as taught
ana practccd i'm the Baptist church,
lha has distinguished his father. He
cares little tor society, outside of the
'huIch, although he docs not ignore it
10 10 Of
loves % fiddle. He plays the violin
Yer" well and it is one of his chief
Soaces. lie is devoted To his family,
nut his great passions are his church
work and the making of money.
Although keenly interested in thSl
great educational and philantropic pro-
erIs tostered and financed by his
IatIer young Mr.. Rockefeller has been
very little Identified with public affairs.
III I'ol he was one of the committee
H ihIrty-siX to arbitrate labor dis
putes appointed by the National civic |
'eueiation. In 1905 he was foreman of
grand jury, and again, a year or 50
'''ef ne was made foreman Cf the
strand jury appointed To inquire into
Wr'ty he did work Which brought
lofih many commentator from fellow
Jurors aud from officials with whom he
came in contact.
Father OF Five Children.
mr.. rockefeller was married in 1901
~ Ahby Greene Aldrich. daughter of
SENATOR Aldrich Of Rhode Island They
nave had five children, the eldest be-
aug It daughter who was named for her
n"'lei porn Nov. ., 1903. The next
''''u u.s. Il son, born March %, 1906, and
named for his father and grandfathcr,
"o'' y. Rockefeller. Ill. The third child
another son. named for his maternal
a''hdidther Nelson Rockefeller. \
--Iu son was born to Mr.. and Mrs.
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