Andrew+Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie was born on November 25th, 1835 in Dunfermline, Scotland. The Carnegie family emigrated to the United States in 1848 due to the economic depression in Scotland and moved near Pittsburgh at a Scottish colony called Allegheny. Andrew Carnegie began working at the Pittsburgh Telegraph Office at the age of 14, where he was chosen by Thomas A. Scott to be his right-hand man. Carnegie would follow Scott even through the Civil War when Scott was chosen as the assistant secretary of war and Carnegie assisted him in his duties. Carnegie would eventually take over as the superintendent of the western division of Pennsylvania Railroad after Scott and immediately started to invest in ventures that he thought would have tremendous value down the line.

Carnegie regularly took visits to Britain to see the development of the iron industry and took notice of the converter invented by Henry Bessemer. This is when Carnegie realized that iron would soon be replaced by steel. Based on the advances by Bessemer, Carnegie created his first steel furnace in 1874 in Braddock.

Carnegie also had an interest in political and social issues and wrote many books and essays regarding such issues. Carnegie talks about how America's most helpful triumph is the educational system. He also talks about how the rich have an obligation to share their wealth to better their community and those around them who are less fortunate.

Due to the work of Carnegie's right hand man, Henry Frick, the Carnegie Steel Company became the largest steel company in the world. However, while Carnegie was in Scotland with his family, Frick used strikebreakers to quell a strike, specifically going against Carnegie's orders. In 1899, Carnegie bought out Frick to become the sole owner of Carnegie Steel Company.

The Carnegie Company was bought out by Frick & JP Morgan for $500 million and created the U.S. Steel Corporation. Carnegie now had a personal fortune of $225 million. Carnegie created a trust fund to help the less fortunate and set up countless libraries and schools. By the time Carnegie passed away in August of 1919, he had given away $350 million.

Sources: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAcarnegie.htm http://www.history.com/encyclopedia.do?articleId=204747 Andrew Carnegie by Alvin F. Harlow Andrew Carnegie by Katherine Shippen

Eric Pham