Andrew Carnegie

Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist (1835–1919)

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Academics rank#171
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Lived 1835–1919, aged 84United States

United States AcademicsAcademic

Wikipedia
79 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1835–1919
Aged 84
Known for
Paris 1900
1948

Summary

Updated 2026-08-18

He built an empire on steel, became richer than Rockefeller, then gave nearly all of it away — $350 million in his last 18 years alone. His 1889 "Gospel of Wealth" didn't just advocate for progressive taxation and charity; it rewired how American fortunes think about their endgames.

Biography

About

Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, and arrived in Pittsburgh at 12 in 1848 with his parents. He started in a cotton mill, moved to telegraphy, then built wealth through railroads, oil, bridges, and bond sales that funneled European capital into American ventures. By the 1860s he'd assembled the pieces; decades later he forged them into Carnegie Steel, which he sold to J. P. Morgan in 1901 for over $303 million — the seed of U.S. Steel and the deal that made him richer than Rockefeller. He spent his remaining 18 years endowing what still carries his name: Carnegie Hall, Carnegie Mellon…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie

saidJun 1889

The problem of our age is the proper administration of wealth, so that the ties of brotherhood may still bind together the rich and poor in harmonious relationship.

— p. 653

Andrew Carnegie

saidJun 1889

While the law [of competition] may be sometimes hard for the individual, it is best for the race, because it insures the survival of the fittest in every department.

— p. 655

Andrew Carnegie

saidJun 1889