40 facts about John D. Rockefeller, the richest American of all time

40 facts about John D. Rockefeller, the richest American of all time

Larry Holzwarth - July 5, 2019

40 facts about John D. Rockefeller, the richest American of all time
Rockefeller’s lifelong piety was often noted with disdain by periodicals of the day which excoriated the “robber barons”. Wikimedia

27. He never strayed from the religious upbringing of his youth

Rockefeller’s mother had been pious and devout, of the Baptist faith, and she imparted her religious and moral beliefs on her son, who in turn applied them to his business dealings (in his own mind) and to his children. His charitable giving was based on the Christian belief recorded in the Gospel of Luke, that the more one gave the more one would have given to him. Many of his charitable donations were of a religious nature, and he saw no moral conflict between his ruthless nature in business and the act of charitable sharing of the fortune he acquired, often at the expense of others. For example, his elimination of the middle man delivering kerosene to customers costs unknown hundreds their livelihoods, but increased his profits, which increased the amount of his fortune he could share through charity.

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