The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1916-07-26
JOHN D.'S FORTUNE
Is sl,0O0,000,00O
Balance Sheet Shows Up
Accordingly.
GIFTS LESS THAN HIS INCOME
Variations lnStOck Market Cause
Fortune TO FIuctuate ST..
100000 a Day.
MIR. ROCKEFELLER Is NOW ~

Cleveland, o., July 22.-lnforma-
/ ton of the existence of a balance
sheet compiled on the occasion OF
John ID. Rockefeller's seventy
seventh birthday, showing that his
/ private fortune, exclusive of endow-
ment funds and other benefactions,
! exceeds a billion dollars, is said to
! be in possession of the authorities
Of Cuyahoga county.
: The existence of the balance
sheet, Indicating that Mr.. Rockefel-
; ler's fortune exceeds that of any
man in the world, and, indeed. in
the history OF the world, was discov-
cred in the search for evidence to
present in the United States Circuit
Court of Appeals in the forthcoming
attempt of CUyahOga county to force
MIR. Rockefeller to pay taxes on
holdings of more than three hun
dred million dollars. Mr.. Rockefel-
Ter obtained an injunction in the
United States District Court in
Cleveland preventing the enforce
ment of tax collection on the hold
ings in October, 1915, and in De
cember of the same year Cuyahoga
county filed an appeal in the United
States Circuit Court.
Since then county authorities
. have been endeavoring to obtain ev-
idence that Mr.. Rockefeller was a
legal resident of Cleveland. He is
now at his home here. and on July
8 celebrated his seventy-seventh
birthday. 1t was about that time. it
is understood. that a balance sheet
containing the extent and the varied
amounts of his holdings was pre-
scented to him. The balance sheet,
according to authentic information,
indicated that the Rockefeller for
tune had exceeded 1,000,000,0O0
and steadily was mounting upward;
SO rapidly. in fact, that. with all Of
his enormous benefactions. Mr..
Rockefeller was unable to dispose OF
the income.
OF the enormous total nearly
$500, 100000 represents Mr.. Rookie
feller's holdings in the various Stan
dard Oil companies and their subsid-
iaries. He holds approximately
247,962 shares out of total of
SSS,3s3 shares issued in all of the
companies. The stock is now quot
ed around sl.70O, about three times
what it was before the Federal
courts issued an order dissolving
the great corporation into independ-
ent companies.
The balance of Mr.. Rockefeller's
fortune, it is understood, is shown
to be in enormous holdings in va
rious railway and banking corpora
tons. the United States Steel corpo-
ration, and in national, municipal
State and in foreign bond issues.
Among his holdings, it is recorded,
there are $10,0O0,000 of Anglo
French war bonds, floated here last
year by the Allied Commission.
Naturally. with such an amazing
accumulation of wealth. the varia-
tions of the stock market day by
day increase or decrease the fortune
by a million or more dollars. Since
the compilation of the schedule in
June. Immediately succeeding the
announcement that the half-year's
gifts OF the Rockefeller Foundation
merely one of his projects-were
more than three million dollars. the
fortune is said to have shown
great increase. That is because Of
the steadily upward trend of various
stocks because of the enlivened COM
merce of the country.
Neither Mr.. Rockefeller nor his
son. John ID. Rockefeller, Jr., are en-
gagged actively in business. Since
1910, when their joint benefactions
first began to loom large In the gen.
erosities of the world. eclipsing /
those of Andrew Carnegie. it is esti-
mated that the Rockefellers have
given away approximately $780, J
100000. The most conspicuous of /
the benefactions have been the Gen
ersl Education Board. which has re-
ceived about $4,000. 900; Universe
ty Of Chicago. to, which has been