John D. Rockefeller

              John Rockefeller was born July 8, 1839 in Richford, New York. He was brought up well because his father made money by claiming he could cure cancerous cases for twenty-five dollars. John's mother stayed at home and taught him all the skills that John would use later in his life, like his charity and wise investment strategies.

When John was 12 he was able to lend money he earned from working for his neighbors to a farmer. John made money off the interest paid by the farmer and this was a clear sign to him how he was going to make money in his later life. In 1853 John and his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Two years later, John went to Folsom's Commercial College and learned more skills for investing and lending. That year he also got his first job as a bookkeeper. What he learned in this job gave him the confidence to know that he had the ability to run his own business. After four years of paying his dues as a bookkeeper, he was able to make his own firm with a business partner. This set him up for the beginning of his career in the oil business.

In 1865, after years of thought, John Rockefeller found the one business he wanted to specialize in, oil. He began to build his first oil refinery of the Standard Oil Company in Cleveland. John Rockefeller knew that he didn't want to spend too much money on expenses that could be avoided, so John also had the company make its own barrels and have a smooth transportation system, and John invented the first oil truck for transporting large amounts of oil. Using the Standard Oil Company John Rockefeller became one of the richest men in the U.S. at the time.

After he made fortunes off of oil, John gave much of his money back to various societies, universities, causes, and funds. John had worked on creating the University of Chicago, Rockefeller University, General Board of Education, and the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission. Because of his gifts, many people got an education, hookworm in the South was eradicated, and people were better paid after World War One. All of this giving clearly establishes John D. Rockefeller as one of the most giving and charitable people that has ever been in America, and should truly be considered a great hero of this country.