andrew carnegie went from a poor scottish immigrant to one of the richest people in the world.
in 1901, he sold carnegie steel to j.p. morgan for $480 million, then spent the rest of his life trying to give most of his fortune away. he ultimately gave away about $350 million and helped fund 2,509 libraries.
the interesting contradiction is that the fortune behind all that philanthropy came from an industrial empire known for brutal working conditions and major labor conflict.
one life somehow became a story about capitalism, extreme wealth, labor, and philanthropy all at once.
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carnegie was already a pretty controversial figure while he was alive.
some people saw him as the ultimate self made success story. poor immigrant, massive fortune, then libraries, universities, and philanthropy everywhere.
others saw a huge contradiction. he talked a lot about workers and fairness, but after the violent homestead strike, his image took a serious hit.
he also had direct access to presidents and powerful politicians, regularly writing to people like theodore roosevelt about trade, peace, and foreign policy.
kind of wild when you think about it. he never held office, but he was rich and influential enough to have conversations with the people running the country.
