page_title: John Dustin Archbold
section_title: Syracuse University
hierarchical_section_title: John Dustin Archbold / Professional life / Syracuse University
caption_attribution_description: English: "Lefty Louis" and "Gyp the Blood," rowing a small boat, call to Standard Oil executive John D. Archbold, standing against the rail of a ship called "The Oil Line," holding Hearst's Magazine. An iceberg with antlers is visible in the distance. The cartoon contrasts the state of the wealthy and the poor under suspicion for illegal acts. Archbold had written to Theodore Roosevelt on behalf of Standard Oil, regarding contributions for the presidential campaign of 1904, in return for favors. Although no evidence of favoritism existed, Hearst's Magazine published Archbold's letters to Roosevelt just prior to the 1912 presidential election in which Roosevelt ran as the "Bull Moose" or Progressive Party candidate, hence the antler on the iceberg.
context_page_description: John Dustin Archbold was an American businessman and one of the United States' earliest oil refiners. His small oil company was bought out by John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company. Archbold rose rapidly at Standard Oil, handling many of the complex secret negotiations over the years. By 1882, he was Rockefeller's closest associate, and typically acted as the company's primary spokesman. Rockefeller, after 1896, left business matters to Archbold while he pursued his philanthropy; as vice president, Archbold effectively ran Standard Oil until his death in 1916. Inspired by Rockefeller's policies, Archbold's main goals were stabilization, efficiency, and minimizing waste in refining and distributing petroleum products. The company was broken up by the Supreme Court in 1911 into 34 smaller operations, Archbold became president of the largest one, Standard Oil of New Jersey.
context_section_description: In 1886, Archbold became a member of the board of trustees of Syracuse University, and was the board's president from 1893 until his death in 1916. From 1893 to 1914, he contributed nearly $6,000,000 for eight buildings, including the full cost of Archbold Stadium (opened 1907, demolished 1978; the Carrier Dome was built on this site), Sims Hall (men's dormitory, 1907), Archbold Gymnasium (1908, nearly destroyed by fire in 1947, but still in use), and the oval athletic field.
caption: 1912 political cartoon (Thomas E. Powers, US Library of Congress)
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