Andrew Carnegie's envisioned the advancement of education and public interests
Another remarkably successful man feted for his work for the greater good was Andrew Carnegie. Born in Scotland in 1835, he grew up in humble surroundings as the son of a hand loom weaver. The family emigrated to America and eventually settled in Pennsylvania, where his father William worked in a cotton factory. Initially, Andrew followed his father into this line of work before starting work as a messenger boy for the Ohio Telegraph Company, before joining the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, where his aptitude and hard work saw him rise to the position of Superintendent of the division.
It was, however, in the steel industry where he really made his mark, founding Carnegie Steel in the late 1880s. Over twenty years he built this company up to become the largest manufacturer of pig iron steel rails and coke in the world, eventually incorporating many new divisions and other competitors along the way.
But it was at the start of the 1900s that Carnegie took himself down the philanthropic route. His main vision was for "public interest and educational advancement." He did this by heavily backing the spelling reform, and also by building public libraries in the United States, Britain, and other English-speaking countries such as Canada and Australia. Eventually, they came to number well over three thousand. He didn't stop there however, as he set up many educational institutions from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, to an institution named after him in Washington.
He never forgot his roots though, funding many projects back in Scotland from the purchase of church organs, to the building of municipal baths in his hometown of Dunfermline. He also set up hero funds and built ornate theaters for the performing arts, such as Carnegie Hall in New York, which is still there today. He touched many walks of life with his generosity. Eventually, it is guessed he gave away around $35 billion by the time of his death, which ultimately was the realization of his vision set out in his "Gospel of Wealth" in 1900. In it, he declared that in order for the country to be truly meritocratic, great wealth should be left for public good rather than the preservation of a super-rich dynasty.
New York City's Carnegie Hall was one of the products of the "Gospel of Wealth" |
Britain too, despite its Victorian image of being a country divided by the feudal system of landowners and tenants, often had its traditions of benevolence shrouded by its imperialistic endeavors. Many cultural buildings and initiatives, for example, were funded through public generosity. Museums such as the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Science Museum were funded by proceeds from the Great Exhibition, a showcase of Victorian Capitalism. Furthermore, the Royal Albert Hall was entirely funded by the great industrialists of the age. |
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