Rockefeller and Carnegie In the nineteenth century two of the greatest entrepreneurs were born. These two men, Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller epitomized the word monopoly, by becoming the biggest industry giants of their time. Carnegie was the leader of the steel industry, while Rockefeller controlled oil. Both of these men were similar; they came from humble beginnings and showed interest in their careers at a young age. On November 25, 1835 William Carnegie had his first child named Andrew in Dunfermline, Scotland. Andrew Carnegie faced poverty most of his young life; this was because of the era called industrialization, which replaced the once successful hand weaver, William Carnegie with a steamed powered loom in 1847. Young Carnegie and his family moved from Scotland to the united states in 1848; they lived in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Here is where Carnegie’s career in steel began. At the age of eighteen, Carnegie was employed by Thomas Scott, one of the top officials in railroading, as an assistant and telegrapher. Working here gave Carnegie the experience and business savvy he needed to invest in some up-and-coming iron mills and factories; but Carnegie, during his travels, saw the potential of the new steel industry. In 1847 Carnegie opened the first steel furnace.
Over the next couple of years Carnegie’s aggressive sale maneuvers; lowering prices of the steel, buying out weak partners, and outselling his competitors, would put Carnegie at the top of the steel industry making his company worth millions by the time he retired. John D. Rockefeller was born on July 8, 1839 in Richford, New York. His father, William Avery Rockefeller, worked as a pitch man that claimed to have the cure for cancer. Like Carnegie, at the age of thirteen Rockefeller and his family moved to Owego, New York in 1852 where he attended the Owego Academy. After studying at