If you are thinking of rich people the name Warren Buffet may come to mind. You might think of Bill Gates. But one name comes to everyone's mind when people think of the super rich. His name has been synonymous with wealth for generations.

Not only is he the most famous of the world's super rich, he also sported a mustache. So, John D. Rockefeller is perfect for this episode of Great Mustaches in History.

Early Life

John Davison Rockefeller was born on a farm in Richford, New York on July 8, 1839. William Rockefeller was his father. Most people called William Rockefeller "Big Bill" but some people called him "Devil Bill." William Rockefeller traveled a lot and was known to be involved in shady business deals. He was kind of a jerk because he treated people bad and did immoral things that really ended up hurting his family.

John was closer to his mother, Eliza, who took care of the family's six children. She was a devout Baptist. She was thrifty and taught her kids to work hard.

John learned from both parents. He learned to work hard and be thrifty from his mom but his father often bragged that he even cheated his sons in deals to keep them sharp. John learned how to make shrewd deals.
As John Grew Up
John grew to be a responsible and serious young man. Because he was the oldest son he was kind of the man of the family because his father would go traveling or spend time away from the family doing bad stuff. John had to learn quickly about discipline and hard work.

In 1853, the Rockefellers moved to Cleveland, Ohio. That is where John went to high school. He was good at math, music, and was a good debater. John dreamed of going to college but his father made him get a job to help support the family. John was able to take a short business course in bookkeeping at a local commercial college.
Early Career
When John was just sixteen, he got his first full-time job as a bookkeeper. He liked it and learned all he could about business.

He was a born business man so he soon decided that he knew enough to start his own produce business in 1859 with his friend Maurice Clark. John knew how to watch the bottom line, knew how to make shrewd deals, and enjoyed working hard. The business was a successful in the very first year.
Oil Business

Of course, nobody thinks of fruits and vegetables when they think of Rockefeller. We all think of oil. John D. Rockefeller started a new business in 1863. He started his oil business.

Now this was not like starting a gas station or selling motor oil. This was before electricity and oil was used mainly in lamps. Whale oil was the most popular oil to use but whales were over-hunted and whale oil was getting more and more expensive.

Rockefeller had a knack for reading trends and saw that whale oil would not be around much longer so he focused on kerosene. Rockefeller and his partner from the produce business Maurice Clark started their own oil refinery business to make kerosene for lamp oil. In 1865, Rockefeller bought out Clark for $72,500.

Rockefeller was good at this business too. He kept costs down and reinvested every penny he could back into his business. His thrift, hard work, and shrewd business dealings soon helped him have the largest refinery business in Cleveland and one of the biggest in the United States.
Standard Oil

Rockefeller set his sights high. He formed  Standard Oil in 1870. His goal was not just to have a bigger refinery. He wanted to take over the entire oil refinery business. He began to buy out his competitors. He would buy a refinery but then he would put his business skill to work to make improvements. Most of the time the refinery became more efficient and profitable.

He was not always nice about it when he bought a competitor. He would often tell his competitors that he would have their business either way. They could sell to him for what he thought was a fair price or he would run them out of business.