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Andrew Carnegie

Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist (1835-1919) · United States · Founders · Died at 83

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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.

ExecutivesSinger / MusicianEconomicsLiteratureEntrepreneurshipUnited StatesAmericas19th Century

A life in dates

1919Died11 August 19191910Honorary Doctorate from the National Autonomous University of MexicoAward1899American Library Association Honorary MembershipAward1889“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.”In their wordsJune 1889p. 653

“Those who would administer wisely must, indeed, be wise, for one of the serious obstacles to the improvement of our race is indiscriminate charity.”In their wordsJune 1889p. 662

“Thus is the problem of Rich and Poor to be solved. The laws of accumulation will be left free; the laws of distribution free.”In their wordsJune 1889"Wealth," in: North American Review, June 1889 vol. 148, issue 391, p 653-664.

“The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced.”In their wordsJune 1889p. 664

1885“The concerns which fail are those which have scattered their capital, which means that they have scattered their brains also.”In their words23 June 1885Speech to Curry Commercial College of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 23 June 1885

1884“Did you ever sum up these prizes and think how very little the millionaire has beyond the peasant, and how very often his additions tend not to happiness but to misery!”In their wordsp. 353 General Conclusions.

1835Born25 November 1835

Also in Deutsch

Photos 12

Birthplace of Andrew Carnegie in Dunfermline, ScotlandBirthplace of Andrew Carnegie in Dunfermline, ScotlandCarnegie, age 16, with younger brother Thomas, c. 1851Carnegie, age 16, with younger brother Thomas, c. 1851Pullman sleeping car, where Carnegie made one of his most successful investmentsPullman sleeping car, where Carnegie made one of his most successful investmentsEads Bridge across the Mississippi River, opened in 1874 using Carnegie steelEads Bridge across the Mississippi River, opened in 1874 using Carnegie steelCarnegie, c. 1878Carnegie, c. 1878Bessemer converterBessemer converter

In their own words 10

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Andrew Carnegie
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10 statements, newest first

  1. 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.

    Jun 1889, p. 653, Own words

  2. 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.

    Jun 1889, p. 655, Own words

  3. Those who would administer wisely must, indeed, be wise, for one of the serious obstacles to the improvement of our race is indiscriminate charity.

    Jun 1889, p. 662, Own words

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Awards

Honorary Doctorate from the National Autonomous University of Mexico1910
American Library Association Honorary Membership1899
Library Hall of Fame
Bessemer Gold Medal

Family

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Andrew Carnegie

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About this person

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, the Peace Palace in The Hague, thousands of libraries, and institutions for science and international peace. He died in 1919 having dispersed roughly 90 percent of his fortune.

Country
United States
Category
Founders
Type
Founder
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1835 to 1919 · aged 83

Founders from the United States 6

Charles Hoskinson69.1Herman Cain68.8Alexis Ohanian69.3Mike Lindell68.7Oleg Tinkov69.8John D. Rockefeller68.6

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