John D. Rockefeller.…the “Most Hated Man in the 19th Century”!
No other person alive in the 19th century had such an enormous impact on the economy and history of America as did J.D. Rockefeller. J.D.’s reputation spans from being a ruthless businessperson to a thoughtful and giving philanthropist. Born on July 8, 1839, he came from a family with not much and lived the American dream, rising to success through his own wit and cunning, riding on the backs of none. His legacy is monumental; amassing the greatest private wealth of any American in history. His net worth in today’s dollars would be well over $350 billion dollars or 5 times more than the net worth of Bill Gates! Better yet, imagine $350 billion one dollar bills stacked on one on top of the other… this stack would be over 25,000 miles high. Pretty goal achievement for a boy, who at age eighteen had two lifetime goals…1. To earn $100,000 and 2. To live to be 100! J.D. is a native of Tioga County, New York, his grandfather, Godfrey, coming from Massachusetts and settling in Richford. In this village, John Davidson Rockefeller (J.D.) was born on July 8, 1839 to his mother Eliza a house maker and his father William (Devil Bill) Rockefeller. Devil Bill was a drifter, peddling oil products to cure cancer...Snake Oil that is! He was tall and fine looking, with a dominating personality, a great hunter, and an unusually good expert shooter. He was, too, a very shrewd, practical man and J.D often acknowledged owing an enormous debt to his father for training him in practical ways. He was engaged in numerous enterprises, large and small, about which he used to talk very freely to his son J.D., explaining their significance; in addition, he tutored him in the principles and methods of business., The family finally settled in Cleveland, Ohio, where he built a house for the family. By this time, J.D.,