John D. Rockefeller

John D. Rockefeller

In 1896 Rockefeller was worth about $200 million. Rockefeller made a little over 1 billion dollars in his lifetime. His Net worth now is 318 billion dollars according to Forbes magazine.

John D. Rockefeller was one of the richest Americans in history. He was born on July 8, 1939 in Richford, New York. Although he was born in Richford, Rockefeller was raised in Cleveland, Ohio.

At age 16 Rockefeller became a clerk in a commission house. With his mind set on owning his own business Rockefeller saved all his money and in 1850 went into business with an Englishman named Maurice Clark. The company was Clark & Rockefeller Produce and Commission. It sold implements, fertilizers and household goods. In 1862 after hearing that Samuel Andrews developed a cheaper and more efficient way of refining crude petroleum, Rockefeller sold his business. He invested it in a new company that he set up with Andrews. The company was called Standard Oil. Rockefeller then bought the whole company off of Andrews for $1.0 millions dollars.