Andrew Carnegie
Born: Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland
Andrew Carnegie, synonymous with American prosperity and philanthropy, was born in Scotland in 1835. And long before he beat out John D. Rockefeller for the title of wealthiest American, Carnegie was a boy in Scotland in a one room, working class home. At the age of 13, Carnegie and his parents left the financial hardship of Scotland and moved to the United States, settling in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, where Carnegie got his first job in America: a 12 hour a day, six day a week factory gig that paid $1.20 a week.
Allegheny was a rapidly expanding town when the Carnegies moved there, well known for its industrial advancements. And soon, the young Carnegie caught some luck, starting with a job offer from a fellow Scottish immigrant who also ran a factory. Carnegie established himself as a hard worker, a skill he eventually brought with him to future jobs, including roles as a telegraph messenger boy and, after working his way up, the superintendent of the Western Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Carnegie started investing his earnings and then investing in U.S. industrial advancements, in particular the steel and railroad industries.
It was during the Civil War that Carnegie began to truly establish himself as a mainstay of the American elite. In 1861, Carnegie was appointed Superintendent of the Military Railways and the Union Government’s eastern telegraph lines. After the war, he turned his focus back to steel, amassing the fortune that he would eventually become world famous for.
Carnegie wasn’t just one of the richest of famous U.S. immigrants, he was also one of the most philanthropic. In the last 18 years of his life, Carnegie gave away roughly 90% of his fortune to charitable causes, including those in both the United States and in his hometown of Dunfermline. He funded the opening of around 3,000 libraries around the globe in his lifetime, starting in Dunfermline and working his way through the U.S., Britain, Australia, and beyond. He further invested in education with Carnegie Mellon University and millions in educational grants. During this time, Carnegie split his time between Skibo Castle, his home in Scotland, and his U.S. estates.
Carnegie passed away at his home in Lenox, Massachusetts, having given away the equivalent of nearly $77 billion in today’s money. The remainder of his fortune was given to charity after his death.