The Men Who Built America: Andrew Carnegie, the Richest Man in the World

“You didn’t build that”

In our ongoing tibute to the men that built America, today we spotlight Scottish-born Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), an American industrialist who assembled a fortune in the steel industry and then became a major philanthropist. Carnegie worked in a Pittsburgh cotton factory as a boy before rising to the position of division superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1859.

Fond of saying "The man who dies rich, dies disgraced," Through self-dtermination Carnegie aquired a fortune, and then gave it away--Millions of dollars went to support education, a pension plan for teachers, and the cause of world peace. Most famous as a benefactor of libraries, he funded nearly 3,000 around the world. He preached the obligation of the wealthy to return their money to the societies where they made it—then added, says Carnegie's biographer, Joseph Frazier Wall, "a very revealing sentence. He wrote, 'and besides, it provides a refuge from self-questioning.’”

“The Richest Man in the World: Andrew Carnegie,” produced by Austin Hoyt and narrated by David Ogden Stiers, follows Carnegie's life from his impoverished origins in Dunfermline, Scotland, through his business career where he was on the cutting edge of the industrial revolution in telegraphy, railroads, and finally, steel. "The Richest Man in the World" traces the roots of Carnegie's philanthropy to his idealistic, egalitarian father, a skilled weaver displaced by the Industrial Revolution. But Carnegie's mother, Margaret, was a more dominant force in his life. Determined to overcome the shame of poverty and "get to the top," the frugal Margaret often advised young Andrew, "Look after the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves." He lived with her until she died, and only then married, at age 51.

Carnegie's daughter, Margaret Carnegie Miller, publicly remembered her father as "a kindly, friendly, man. He always wanted to be remembered as one who loved his fellow men." In private, her thoughts were harsher. "Tell his life like it was," she urged his biographer. "I'm sick of the Santa Claus stuff."

Although Carnegie saw himself as a friend of the working man," says Hoyt, "the lives of his workers were not fairy tales where everything turns out all right." According to business historian Harold Livesay, "By the standards of his time, Carnegie does not stand out as a particularly ruthless businessman. But certainly by the standards of ethics and conduct to which we would like to hold businessmen today, he indeed operated extremely ruthlessly."

The Men Who Built America: The Wisdom of Henry Ford

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”

—Henry Ford

American industrialist Henry Ford was the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production.  Ford produced an affordable car, paid high wages and helped create a middle class.  Ford was considered a pioneer in industrial production.  Together with his son Edsel, they formed the Ford Foundation in 1936.

“You Didn’t build that:” The Men Who Built America: Traits of a Titan

Barrack Obama believes an entrepreneur cannot go from a dream or vision to success without the help of government. The men who built America, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Astor, Ford and J.P.  Morgan would undoubtedly disagree with our statist president. The names of these American  titans of industry are part of American history and synonymous with success and the American Dream.

These men transformed every industry they touched: oil, rail, steel, shipping, automobiles, and finance. Their efforts transformed a country. Rising from poverty, their paths crossed again and again as they elected presidents, set economic policies and influenced major events of their day—from the Civil War to The Great Depression.

Today we introduce you to the men who built America beginning with the video “The Men Who Built America: Traits of a Titan” in which today's business leaders weigh in on what America's first titans of industry all had in common—Leadership—something Obama cannot claim—played a central role in the success of these men.