About John D. Rockefeller
Born into a large family in Upstate New York, Rockefeller later settled in Cleveland, Ohio. He began working as an assistant bookkeeper at 16 and entered business partnerships at 20, focusing on oil refining. He founded Standard Oil in 1870, ran it until 1897, and stayed its biggest shareholder. After retiring, he devoted his money and time to philanthropy, especially supporting schools, medical research, colleges, and projects that modernized the Southern United States.
