The Life of Andrew Carnegie

A man of Scotland, a distinguished citizen of the fall in States, and a philanthropist devoted to the advance manpowert of the world around him, Andrew railcarnegie became famous at the turn of the twentieth century and became a real life rags to riches story. born(p) in Dunfermline, Scotland, on November 25, 1835, Andrew Carnegie entered the world in poverty. The son of a hand weaver, Carnegie genuine his provided formal education during the mind slight time between his birth and his make a motion to the coupled States.When steam machinery for weaving came into use, Carnegies get down sold his looms and household goods, sailplaning to America with his wife and two sons. At this time, Andrew was twelve, and his br separate, Thomas, was five. Arriving into current York on August 14, 1848, on board the Wiscasset from Glasgow, the Carnegies wasted small-scale time subsiding in Allegheny city, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, where relatives already existed and were t here to provide tending. Allegheny City provided Carnegies first job, as a reel son in a cotton factory, working for $1. 20 a week.His father also worked there while his niggle bound shoes at home, make a miniscule amount of money. Although the Carnegies lacked in money, they abounded in ideals and necessitateing for their children. At fester 15, Carnegie became a electrify messenger boy in Pittsburgh. He learned to unhorse and decipher telegraphic messages and became a telegraph operator at the age of 17. Carnegies next job was as a railroad clerk, working for the Pennsylvania Railroad. He worked his way up the ladder, through his inscription and honest desire to succeed, to become train dispatcher and then division manager.At this time, young Carnegie, age 24, had already make some small investments that laid the foundations of his what would be tremendous passel. One of these investments was the purchase of declivity in the Woodruff Sleeping Car Comp any. In 1864, Car negie entered the iron business, completely did not begin to make steel until age later. In 1873, he built the Edgar Thomson whole working in Braddock, Pennsylvania, to make Bessemer steel. He naturalized many other steel plants, and in 1892, he merged all of his interests into the Carnegie vane Company.This act from Carnegie is fitting with one of his nearly famous quotations, Put all of your bollock in one basket, and then bide that basket. This firm became one of the greatest industrial enterprises in America. Carnegie later sold it to J. P. Morgans United States Steel Corporation in 1901 for $400 million, which would be a little over $4 billion at present After retiring, Carnegies fortune was estimated to be as immense as one-half a billion dollars. From that time on, with the school of thought that the rich have a good obligation to give away(p) their money, he devoted himself to philanthropy.Although ironic, this man of great fortune strongly believed in the me rits of poverty for the education of character and work ethic, and determined that smashed men should not leave their fortunes to their children, scarce should give it away, claiming The man who dies thus rich, dies disgraced. The vista of community service, Carnegie is quoted as saying, Pittsburgh entered the core of my emotional assure when I was a boy, and cannot be rupture pop out. I can never be one hairs largeness less loyal to her, or less anxious to help her in any way, than I have been since I could help anything.My treasure is still with you, and how best to parcel out Pittsburgh is the question which occurs to me almost every daytime of my life. Colonel James Anderson, who Carnegie believes to be his childhood benefactor, completed a humanity library in his hometown of Allegheny City. This library was the first opportunity for Carnegie to sign on advantage of free information, and he unquestionable a vast interest for cognition, checking out at least one watchword a week, and developing himself as a young boy.With Colonel Andersons generous persona to his society molding Carnegies childhood, and his beliefs on how large fortunes can be utilise for the betterment of society, it becomes obvious that Carnegie would focus in particular on promoting education, establishing 2,811 free libraries in all. Of these, 1,946 were set(p) in the United States with at least one in every state except Rhode Island. Also, 660 were founded in Britain and Ireland, 156 in Canada, and a handful of libraries were also scattered in New Zealand, the West Indies, and even Fiji.Caregies contri onlyions gave existence to his dream of establishing chances of self-education in a time when creation libraries were scarce. non only did he give large amounts of money to libraries, but also to other philanthropic organizations, establishing some of his own. The Carnegie Corporation of New York was established for the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and un derstanding. The $135 million donated by Carnegie was utilise in grants to colleges, universities, and other educational institutions. funds also went to organizations that conduct basic inquiry and experimental programs dealing with education and public affairs. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace was founded to get along international peace and understanding, conducting programs of research, discussion, publication, and education in the international affairs and United States conflicting policy. Currently the program focuses on issues much(prenominal) as arms control, international law, and relations between the United States and foreign countries.It publishes the every quarter journal, Foreign Policy, and has offices in New York City and Washington, D. C. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching hike ups the gravitas in the teaching profession and the shit of higher education. Chartered by Carnegie in 1905 with $15 million, the foundation establ ished the Teachers insurance policy and Annuity Association in 1918, and soon provides retirement pensions for teachers of colleges, technical schools, and universities in the United States and Canada. Their studies have had much influence on American higher education. Also benefiting from Carnegies charity include various Carnegie museums of history, science, and art, Carnegie hallway in New York, and other public spirited organizations.Before 1919, when Carnegie died, he had given up away $350,695,653, and at his death, the last $30 million was likewise given away to foundations, charities, and pensioners. He left a house on society not only through his enormous monetary provisions, but also with his own literature. Carnegie loved to promote his ideas and opinions in print, and has written many works outlining these philosophies, including Triumphant Democracy (1886), The Gospel of wealthiness (1900), The Empire of Business (1902), Problems of Today (1908), and an history (1 920) (Mitzen 182).Although Carnegie only stood somewhere between 52 and 56, he had to be a great, tough, disciplined ogre of a man. His commitment to others is not only seen through his many munificent works, but in the way he lived, including his gravestone in the Sleepy Hollow burying ground of North Tarrytown, New York, where the epitaph reads, Here lies a man who was able to surround himself with men far cleverer than himself.