The Gospel Of Wealth

Andrew Carnegie was born on November 25, 1835 in Dunfermline, Scotland. In 1848, at the age of 13, Carnegie sailed with his family from Dunfermline to New York City, in search of a new life and new opportunities. After arriving to America, they traveled via steamboat to settle near friends and family in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. His father, Will, was a weaver, and his mother, Margaret, sewed to earn money. His brother, Tom, was 5 years old at the time of their sailing.

As a young man, Carnegie worked a variety of different jobs, ranging from factory worker to telegraph messenger and operator. His experiences working the telegraph for the Pennsylvania Railroad enabled him to learn about the railroad industry. He soon developed a keen business sense and began investing in oil and other products. Carnegie’s expertise led him to the steel industry and he started the Carnegie Steel Company, implementing methods that made making steel easier. By the time Carnegie was 30 years old, he was already on his way to becoming an extraordinarily successful businessman. Many historians note that though Carnegie was a very clever person, he also credited good timing and good luck for his success.

Carnegie’s mother lived with him until her death in 1886, when Carnegie was 50 years old. In 1887, he met and married Louise Whitfield, with whom he had one daughter. The family split much of their time between their home in Manhattan and Skibo Castle, in Scotland.

When he was 65, Carnegie sold his company, the Carnegie Steel Company, to J.P. Morgan for the incredible sum of $480 million, and his career as a philanthropist began. Once he sold his company, Carnegie was able to devote the rest of his life to writing and to philanthropy. Carnegie funded educational and cultural institutions as well as organizations that facilitated the pursuit of world peace. He built Carnegie Hall in New York City and founded Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, near to where his family settled upon their arrival to America from Scotland.

Because books played a significant role in Carnegie’s life from an early age (Carnegie, in his early teens, would borrow texts from a wealthy man named Colonel James Anderson), libraries in particular were of great philanthropic interest to him. In recognition of the free education Carnegie received from these books and others, Carnegie funded over 2,800 libraries all over the world. He felt strongly that all people should be able to access the knowledge contained in books. From tiny towns in America to big metropolitan cities, from locations in the United Kingdom to exotic islands in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, Carnegie libraries sprung up to serve local communities. As long as a community was able to make the case for their need for a library and as long as they could take the responsibility for filling it with books, Carnegie would ensure that the structure would be built. The grants Carnegie provided sparked an interest in libraries around America. The State of Indiana received the most Carnegie library grants, at 156. Many of Carnegie’s libraries were destroyed by fire, but many still stand, including the famous Detroit Public Library in Michigan.

Over the course of his lifetime, Carnegie is believed to have given away about $350 million of his fortune to philanthropic causes: 90% of his overall worth. This makes for an impressive sum even for the then-second-richest man in America. In his lifetime, Carnegie received many accolades for his contributions to the public good. Two honorary doctorates, one from the University of Glasgow in Scotland and one from the University of Groningen in Holland, are among his most recognizable awards, and Carnegie was also honored with the creation of the Carnegie Medal, which goes to the best children’s literature published in the United Kingdom.

Carnegie spent much of his retirement writing articles and books, including his autobiography, which was published in 1920, one year after his death.