Titan : the life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. / Ron Chernow.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Chernow, Ron, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States.

Rockefeller, John D. (John Davison), 1839-1937.

Rockefeller, John D.

Capitalists and financiers--United States--Biography.

Capitalists and financiers.

Industrialists--United States--Biography.

Industrialists.

Philanthropists--United States--Biography.

Philanthropists.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xxii, 774 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr

Place of Publication:

New York : Random House, [1998]

Summary:

John D. Rockefeller, Sr., - history's first billionaire and the patriarch of America's most famous dynasty - is an icon whose true nature has eluded three generations of historians. Titan is the first full-length biography based on unrestricted access to Rockefeller's exceptionally rich trove of papers. Born the son of a flamboyant, bigamous snake-oil salesman and a pious, straitlaced mother, Rockefeller rose from rustic origins to become the world's richest man by creating America's most powerful and feared monopoly, Standard Oil. Branded "the Octopus" by legions of muckrakers, the trust refined and marketed nearly 90 percent of the oil produced in America. Critics charged that his empire was built on unscrupulous tactics: grand-scale collusion with the railroads, predatory pricing, industrial espionage, and wholesale bribery of political officials. The titan spent more than thirty years dodging investigations until Teddy Roosevelt and his trustbusters embarked on a marathon crusade to bring Standard Oil to bay. While providing abundant new evidence of Rockefeller's misdeeds, Chernow discards the stereotype of the cold-blooded monster to sketch an unforgettably human portrait of a quirky eccentric original.

A biography of America's first billionaire, John D. Rockefeller, Sr., drawing from Rockefeller's personal papers to provide information about his rustic origins, his creation of Standard Oil, his often controversial business tactics, and his personal relationships and attributes.

John D. Rockefeller, Sr. - history's first billionaire and the patriarch of America's most famous dynasty - is an icon whose true nature has eluded three generations of historians. Now Ron Chernow, the National Book Award - winning biographer of the Morgan and Warburg banking families, gives us a history of the mogul "etched with uncommon objectivity and literary grace... as detailed, balanced, and psychologically insightful a portrait of the tycoon as we may ever have" (Kirkus Reviews). Titan is the first full-length biography based on unrestricted access to Rockefeller's exceptionally rich trove of papers. A landmark publication full of startling revelations, the book will indelibly alter our image of his most enigmatic capitalist. Born the son of a flamboyant, bigamous snake-oil salesman and a pious, straitlaced mother, Rockefeller rose from rustic origins to become the world's richest man by creating America's most powerful and feared monopoly, Standard Oil. Branded "the Octopus" by legions of muckrakers, the trust refined and marketed nearly 90 percent of the oil produced in America. Rockefeller was likely the most controversial businessman in our nation's history. Critics charged that his empire was built on unscrupulous tactics: grandscale collusion with the railroads, predatory pricing, industrial espionage, and wholesale bribery of political officials. The titan spent more than thirty years doding investigations until Teddy Roosevelt and his trustbusters embarked on a marathon crusade to bring Standard Oil to bay. While providing abundant new evidence of Rockefeller's misdeeds, Chernow discards the stereotype of the cold-blooded monster to sketch and unforgettably human portrait of a quirky, eccentric original. A devout Baptist and temperance advocate, Rockefeller gave money more generously - his chosen philanthropies included the Rockefeller Foundation, the University of Chicago, and what is today Rockefeller University - than anyone before him. Titan presents a finely nuanced portrait of a fascinating, complex man, synthesizing his public and private lives and disclosing numerous family scandals, tragedies, and misfortunes that have never before come to light. John D. Rockefeller's story captures a pivotal moment in American history, documenting the dramatic post-Civil War shift from small business to the rise of giant corporations that irrevocably transformed the nation. With cameos by Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, Jay Gould, William Vanderbilt, Ida Tarbell, Andrew Carnegie, Carl Jung, J. Pierpont Morgan, William James, Henry Clay Frick, Mark Twain, and Will Rogers, Titan turns Rockefeller's life into a vivid tapestry of American society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is Ron Chernow's signal triumph that he narrates this monumental saga with all the sweep, drama, and insight that this giant subject deserves. -- Book Jacket.

Contents:

Prelude: Poison Tongue

The Flimflam Man

Fires of Revival

Bound to Be Rich

Baptism in Business

The Auction

The Poetry of the Age

Millionaires' Row

Conspirators

The New Monarch

Sphinx

The Holy Family

Insurrection in the Oil Fields

Seat of Empire

The Puppeteer

Widow's Funeral

A Matter of Trust

Captains of Erudition

Nemesis

The Dauphin

The Standard Oil Crowd

The Enthusiast

Avenging Angel

Faith of Fools

The Millionaires' Special

The Codger

The World's Richest Fugitive

Judgment Day

Benevolent Trust

Massacre

Introvert and Extrovert

Confessional

Dynastic Succession

Past, Present, Future

Heirs

See You in Heaven.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 737-749) and index.

Local Notes:

Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Sheldon Hackney.

Storage copy inscribed with initials from Sheldon Hackney to Lucy Hackney.

ISBN:

0679438084

9780679438083

9781400077304

1400077303

OCLC:

37615450