John D. Rockefeller is an example of someone who started out very poor, but was worth millions of dollars by the end of his life. He was born July 8, 1839, in Richford, New York, but spent part of his early life in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, William Avery Rockefeller, has been characterized as a swindler or huckster. He pretended to be someone he wasn't and then made people pay for giving advice. As a child John grew up in this strange environment, without much of a relationship with his father. He was a very responsible young man, worked very hard to make money and had good business sense. For example, he had a plan in which he would purchase penny candy from a wholesale business and then sell the candy at double the price to children in the neighborhood. He was intelligent and very good at accounting. He kept track of the money he earned using a ledger, which is what professional accountants use. He later began his working life working as an accountant. Since John grew up without any basic guidance from his father, he became very self-sufficient in the way of doing business, which made him very successful. John used his fortune to try to repair the damage to his family's name by donating to many charities. It is said that when he went to New York he handed out pennies to children on the street. It turned out to be a good way to improve his family's reputation, especially the reputation his father had left behind. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay John D. Rockefeller entered the oil business as a young man, at age 23, in a group of people that included his brother William. Their company eventually changed its name to the Standard Oil Company of Ohio in 1870. In a clever move, Rockefeller learned about every aspect of the oil business, from the drilling process to refining oil into gasoline. This way he was able to control every part of his business. His goal was to dominate the oil business, and he succeeded. He was called the oil baron and in business showed little compassion towards his workers. He viewed every business as a jungle where only the fittest survived. Because he controlled every part of Standard Oil, he was able to make millions of dollars by pitching a good product at the lowest price. It also controlled many of the oil-related businesses. By 1880 Standard Oil controlled 95 percent of the nation's oil refining operations. Rockefeller moved his headquarters to New York City so he could establish ties with other countries that depended on oil. Standard Oil was eventually declared a trust, and Rockefeller was forced to split the company into 34 separate companies. He became known as the world's first billionaire, but only for being ruthless in business. He ruled over Standard Oil with complete authority, with little regard for his workers. He treated everyone with little respect, with an eye on profits. Most people of that time criticized the methods Rockefeller used to develop his oil empire, but respected him as a great business leader. Many people received money from Rockefeller's numerous charities. He donated over $500 million during his lifetime to foundations and organizations. He supported homeless shelters, raised teachers' salaries and basically tried to soften his image as a cutthroat businessman. Through the Rockefeller Foundation he was able to donate money to the people who needed it most. John D. Rockefeller is seen by some.