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72-552: In 1901 Vancouver requested $ 50,000 from industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie for the purpose of building a library. Carnegie agreed, provided the City of Vancouver supplied the site and contributed $ 5000 a year. The original public library was completed in 1903. For decades, the top floor was the home of the Vancouver Museum . The Vancouver Public Library moved into a more spacious building at 750 Burrard Street in 1957 and

144-485: A " self-made man " in both his economic development and his intellectual and cultural development. He was so grateful to Colonel Anderson for the use of his library that he "resolved, if ever wealth came to me, [to see to it] that other poor boys might receive opportunities similar to those for which we were indebted to the nobleman". His capacity, his willingness for hard work, his perseverance, and his alertness soon brought him opportunities. Starting in 1853, when Carnegie

216-538: A $ 600 mortgage on the family's $ 700 home, but the opportunity was available only because of Carnegie's close relationship with Scott. A few years later, he received a few shares in Theodore Tuttle Woodruff 's sleeping car company as a reward for holding shares that Woodruff had given to Scott and Thomson, as a payoff. Reinvesting his returns in such inside investments in railroad-related industries (iron, bridges, and rails ), Carnegie slowly accumulated capital,

288-698: A bond salesman, raising money for American enterprise in Europe. He built Pittsburgh's Carnegie Steel Company , which he sold to J. P. Morgan in 1901 for $ 303,450,000 (equal to $ 11,113,550,000 today); it formed the basis of the U.S. Steel Corporation . After selling Carnegie Steel, he surpassed John D. Rockefeller as the richest American of the time. Carnegie devoted the remainder of his life to large-scale philanthropy, with special emphasis on building local libraries , working for world peace, education, and scientific research. He funded Carnegie Hall in New York City,

360-709: A combination of low wages, efficient technology infrastructure investment and an efficient organization, the mill produced cheap steel, which sold for a large profit in the growing markets of industrial development. Carnegie alone estimated that 40% was returned on the investment, i.e., a profit of $ 40,000 from a $ 100,000 investment in the mill. The profits made by the Edgar Thomson Steel Works were substantial enough to let Carnegie and his partners, including Henry Clay Frick , his cousin George Lauder , and Henry Phipps Jr. , buy other nearby steel mills. These included

432-559: A home for a number of projects, including the political group known as CCAP (Carnegie Community Action Project), which has recently been associated with the anti-gentrification protests in the DTES. 49°16′52″N 123°06′00″W  /  49.281°N 123.100°W  / 49.281; -123.100 Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( English: / k ɑːr ˈ n ɛ ɡ i / kar- NEG -ee , Scots: [kɑrˈnɛːɡi] ; November 25, 1835 – August 11, 1919)

504-404: A non-profit society. Directors are elected annually from the members of the association. Membership costs one dollar per year and is available to neighbourhood residents. All the centre's programs are free to members. Carnegie Community Centre has a gymnasium, a weight room, a theatre (aptly named Carnegie Hall), a cafeteria with very reasonably priced meals, a seniors lounge and a pool room. There

576-483: A philanthropist. From 1901 forward, public attention was turned from the shrewd business acumen which had enabled Carnegie to accumulate such a fortune, to the public-spirited way in which he devoted himself to using it on philanthropic projects. He had written about his views on social subjects and the responsibilities of great wealth in Triumphant Democracy (1886) and Gospel of Wealth (1889). Carnegie devoted

648-472: A point of naming it after Thomson. As well as having good business sense, Carnegie possessed charm and literary knowledge. He was invited to many important social functions, which Carnegie exploited to his advantage. Carnegie, through Keystone, supplied the steel for and owned shares in the landmark Eads Bridge project across the Mississippi River at St. Louis , Missouri (completed 1874). This project

720-512: A public library; in 1886, he gave $ 250,000 to Allegheny City, Pennsylvania , for a music hall and library; and he gave $ 250,000 to Edinburgh for a free library. In total, Carnegie funded some 3,000 libraries, located in 47 U.S. states, and also in Canada, Britain, Ireland, Belgium, Serbia, France, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the West Indies , and Fiji . He also donated £50,000 to help set up

792-675: A regular contributor to numerous magazines, most notably The Nineteenth Century , under the editorship of James Knowles , and the influential North American Review , led by the editor Lloyd Bryce . In 1889, Carnegie published "Wealth" in the June issue of the North American Review . After reading it, Gladstone requested its publication in Britain, where it appeared as "The Gospel of Wealth" in The Pall Mall Gazette . Carnegie argued that

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864-590: A special vault was built to house the physical bulk of nearly $ 230 million worth of bonds. Carnegie continued his business career; some of his literary intentions were fulfilled. He befriended the English poet Matthew Arnold , the English philosopher Herbert Spencer , and the American humorist Mark Twain , as well as being in correspondence and acquaintance with most of the U.S. Presidents , statesmen, and notable writers. Carnegie constructed commodious swimming-baths for

936-588: A steel rolling mill , and steel production and control of industry became the source of his fortune. Carnegie had some investments in the iron industry before the war. After the war, Carnegie left the railroads to devote his energies to the ironworks trade. Carnegie worked to develop several ironworks, eventually forming the Keystone Bridge Works and the Union Ironworks, in Pittsburgh. Although he had left

1008-547: A substantial breadwinner. But Carnegie attracted the attention of John Hay, a Scottish manufacturer of bobbins, who offered him a job for $ 2.00 per week ($ 70 by 2023 inflation). In his autobiography, Carnegie writes about the hardships he had to endure with this new job: Soon after this Mr. John Hay, a fellow Scotch manufacturer of bobbins in Allegheny City, needed a boy, and asked whether I would not go into his service. I went, and received two dollars per week; but at first

1080-521: A success and a source of profit for Woodruff and Carnegie. The young Carnegie continued to work for Pennsylvania's Tom Scott and introduced several improvements in the service. In the spring of 1861, Carnegie was appointed by Scott, who was now Assistant Secretary of War in charge of military transportation, as Superintendent of the Military Railways and the Union Government's telegraph lines in

1152-460: A thorough education, making the acquaintance of literary men. I figure that this will take three years' active work. I shall pay especial attention to speaking in public. We can settle in London and I can purchase a controlling interest in some newspaper or live review and give the general management of it attention, taking part in public matters, especially those connected with education and improvement of

1224-499: A trip to the United Kingdom. They toured Scotland by coach and enjoyed several receptions en route. The highlight was a return to Dunfermline, where Carnegie's mother laid the foundation stone of a Carnegie Library which he funded. Carnegie's criticism of British society did not mean dislike; on the contrary, one of Carnegie's ambitions was to act as a catalyst for a close association between English-speaking peoples. To this end, in

1296-487: A typical weaver's cottage with only one main room. It consisted of half the ground floor, which was shared with the neighboring weaver's family. The main room served as a living room, dining room and bedroom. He was named after his paternal grandfather. William Carnegie had a successful weaving business and owned multiple looms. In 1836, the family moved to a larger house in Edgar Street (opposite Reid's Park), following

1368-537: Is also an Adult Learning Centre on the top floor, which provides informal one-on-one tutoring. There is a computer lab containing multiple computers for educational use located inside the centre as well. The Carnegie Centre publishes a bi-monthly newsletter with articles concerning the Downtown Eastside Community. The Institute for stained glass in Canada has documented the stained glass at Carnegie Community Centre. The Carnegie Centre supports and provides

1440-605: The Carnegie Institution at Washington, D.C., to encourage research and discovery. He later contributed more to these and other schools. CIT is now known as Carnegie Mellon University after it merged with the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research . Carnegie also served on the Boards of Cornell University and Stevens Institute of Technology . In 1911, Carnegie became a sympathetic benefactor to George Ellery Hale , who

1512-567: The Homestead Steel Works , which Carnegie acquired in 1883. The presence of the Allegheny , Monongahela , and Ohio rivers provided transport for the heavy materials used in steel production. Each plant was near to or alongside a river. Carnegie agreed to Frick's subsequent proposal that the various plants and assets, including H. C. Frick & Company, be consolidated into a single company. This consolidation occurred on July 1, 1892, with

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1584-768: The Peace Palace in The Hague , founded the Carnegie Corporation of New York , Carnegie Endowment for International Peace , Carnegie Institution for Science , Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland , Carnegie Hero Fund , Carnegie Mellon University , and the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh , among others. Andrew Carnegie was born to Margaret (Morrison) Carnegie and William Carnegie in Dunfermline , Scotland, in

1656-725: The Philippines . Carnegie strongly opposed the idea of American colonies. He opposed the annexation of the Philippines almost to the point of supporting William Jennings Bryan against McKinley in 1900. In 1898, Carnegie tried to arrange independence for the Philippines. As the conclusion of the Spanish–American War neared, the United States purchased the Philippines from Spain for $ 20 million. To counter what he perceived as American imperialism , Carnegie personally offered $ 20 million to

1728-732: The United States Steel Corporation . It was the first corporation in the world with a market capitalization of over $ 1 billion. The buyout, secretly negotiated by Charles M. Schwab (no relation to Charles R. Schwab ), was the largest such industrial takeover in United States history to date. The holdings were incorporated in the United States Steel Corporation, a trust organized by Morgan, and Carnegie retired from business. His steel enterprises were bought out for $ 303,450,000. Carnegie's share of this amounted to $ 225.64 million (in 2023, $ 8.26 billion), which

1800-473: The University of Birmingham in 1899. As Van Slyck (1991) showed, during the last years of the 19th century, there was the increasing adoption of the idea that free libraries should be available to the American public. But the design of such libraries was the subject of prolonged and heated debate. On one hand, the library profession called for designs that supported efficiency in administration and operation; on

1872-675: The Carnegie building eventually fell into disrepair. Neighbourhood poverty activists from the Downtown Eastside Residents' Association convinced city council to turn it into a public space for local residents, and it opened as the Carnegie Community Centre in the 1980s. It now houses recreation facilities, a low-cost cafeteria, a branch of the Vancouver Public Library , and a variety of services and programs for

1944-525: The Columbia Oil Company in Venango County, Pennsylvania . In one year, the firm yielded over $ 1 million in cash dividends, and petroleum from oil wells on the property sold profitably. The demand for iron products, such as armor for gunboats, cannons, and shells, as well as a hundred other industrial products, made Pittsburgh a center of wartime production. Carnegie worked with others in establishing

2016-518: The East. Carnegie helped open the rail lines into Washington D.C. that the rebels had cut; he rode the locomotive pulling the first brigade of Union troops to reach Washington D.C. Following the defeat of Union forces at Bull Run , he personally supervised the transportation of the defeated forces. Under his organization, the telegraph service rendered efficient service to the Union cause and significantly assisted in

2088-815: The Hartman Steel Works, the Frick Coke Company, and the Scotia ore mines. Carnegie combined his assets and those of his associates in 1892 with the launching of the Carnegie Steel Company . Carnegie's success was also due to his relationship with the railroad industries, which not only relied on steel for track, but were also making money from steel transport. The steel and railroad barons worked closely to negotiate prices instead of allowing free-market competition. Besides Carnegie's market manipulation, United States trade tariffs were also working in favor of

2160-531: The Pennsylvania Railroad Company, he remained connected to its management, namely Thomas A. Scott and J. Edgar Thomson. He used his connection to the two men to acquire contracts for his Keystone Bridge Company and the rails produced by his ironworks . He also gave stock in his businesses to Scott and Thomson, and the Pennsylvania was his best customer. When he built his first steel plant, he made

2232-520: The Pennsylvania Railroad would be vital to his later success. The railroads were the first big businesses in America, and the Pennsylvania was one of the largest. Carnegie learned much about management and cost control during these years, and from Scott in particular. Scott also helped him with his first investments. Many of these were part of the corruption indulged in by Scott and the president of

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2304-472: The Pennsylvania Railroad, John Edgar Thomson , which consisted of inside trading in companies with which the railroad did business, or payoffs made by contracting parties "as part of a quid pro quo ". In 1855, Scott made it possible for Carnegie to invest $ 500 in the Adams Express Company , which contracted with the Pennsylvania to carry its messengers. The money was secured by his mother's placing of

2376-695: The Philippines so that the Filipino people could purchase their independence from the United States. However, nothing came of the offer. In 1898 Carnegie joined the American Anti-Imperialist League , in opposition to the U.S. annexation of the Philippines. Its membership included former presidents of the United States Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison and literary figures such as Mark Twain . Carnegie spent his last years as

2448-825: The U.S. output of steel exceeded that of the UK, and Carnegie owned a large part of it. Carnegie's empire grew to include the J. Edgar Thomson Steel Works in Braddock (named for John Edgar Thomson , Carnegie's former boss and president of the Pennsylvania Railroad), the Pittsburgh Bessemer Steel Works, the Lucy Furnaces , the Union Iron Mills, the Union Mill (Wilson, Walker & County), the Keystone Bridge Works,

2520-493: The United States in 1848 for the prospect of a better life. They headed to Allegheny, Pennsylvania , where they heard there was a demand for workers. Carnegie's emigration to America was his second journey outside Dunfermline. The first was a family outing to Edinburgh to see Queen Victoria . In September 1848, Carnegie and his family arrived in Allegheny. Carnegie's father struggled to sell his product on his own. Eventually,

2592-461: The United States. When Carnegie was 12, his father had fallen on tough times as a handloom weaver. Making matters worse, the country was in starvation. His mother helped support the family by assisting her brother and by selling potted meats at her "sweetie shop", becoming the primary breadwinner. Struggling to make ends meet, the Carnegies decided to borrow money from George Lauder, Sr. and move to

2664-486: The United States. One of his two great innovations was in the cheap and efficient mass production of steel by adopting and adapting the Bessemer process , which allowed the high carbon content of pig iron to be burnt away in a controlled and rapid way during steel production . Steel prices dropped as a result, and Bessemer steel was rapidly adopted for rails; however, it was not suitable for buildings and bridges. The second

2736-511: The Western Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad. On December 1, 1859, Carnegie officially became superintendent of the Western Division. He hired his sixteen-year-old brother Tom to be his personal secretary and telegraph operator. Carnegie also hired his cousin, Maria Hogan, who became the first female telegraph operator in the country. As superintendent, Carnegie made a salary of $ 1500 a year ($ 51,000 by 2023 inflation). His employment by

2808-585: The basis for his later success. Throughout his later career, he made use of his close connections to Thomson and Scott, as he established businesses that supplied rails and bridges to the railroad, offering the two men stakes in his enterprises. Before the American Civil War , Carnegie arranged a merger between Woodruff's company and that of George Pullman , the inventor of the sleeping car for first-class travel , which facilitated business travel at distances over 500 miles (800 km). The investment proved

2880-537: The company having earned net profits of $ 21 million in 1899. J&L Steel was the most important competitor to the Carnegie Steel Company (and later to U. S. Steel ) in the vicinity of Pittsburgh . Carnegie Steel Company was sold in 1901 to U.S. Steel , a newly formed organization set up by J. P. Morgan . It sold at roughly $ 492 million ($ 18 billion+ today), of which $ 226 million ($ 8.3 billion+ today) went to Carnegie himself. U.S. Steel

2952-699: The demand for more heavy damask , from which his father benefited. Carnegie was educated at the Free School in Dunfermline, a gift to the town from philanthropist Adam Rolland of Gask. Carnegie's maternal uncle, Scottish political leader George Lauder Sr. , deeply influenced him as a boy by introducing him to Robert Burns ' writings and historical Scottish heroes such as Robert the Bruce , William Wallace , and Rob Roy . Lauder's son, also named George Lauder , grew up with Carnegie and later became his business partner in

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3024-412: The different sounds the incoming telegraph signals produced. He developed the ability to translate signals by ear, without using the paper slip. Within a year he was promoted to an operator. Carnegie's education and passion for reading were given a boost by Colonel James Anderson , who opened his personal library of 400 volumes to working boys each Saturday night. Carnegie was a consistent borrower and

3096-513: The early 1880s in partnership with Samuel Storey , he purchased numerous newspapers in Britain, all of which were to advocate the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of "the British Republic". Carnegie's charm, aided by his wealth, afforded him many British friends, including Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone . In 1886, Carnegie's younger brother Thomas died at age 43. While owning steel works, Carnegie had purchased at low cost

3168-467: The establishment of public libraries throughout the United States, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and mostly other English-speaking countries was especially prominent. In this special driving interest of his, Carnegie was inspired by meetings with philanthropist Enoch Pratt (1808–1896). The Enoch Pratt Free Library (1886) of Baltimore, Maryland , impressed Carnegie deeply; he said, "Pratt was my guide and inspiration." Carnegie turned over management of

3240-465: The eventual victory. Carnegie later joked that he was "the first casualty of the war" when he gained a scar on his cheek from freeing a trapped telegraph wire. The defeat of the Confederacy required vast supplies of munitions , railroads and telegraph lines to deliver the goods. The war demonstrated how integral the industries were to Union success. In 1864, Carnegie was one of the early investors in

3312-419: The father and son both received job offers at Anchor Cotton Mills, a Scottish-owned facility. Carnegie's first job in 1848 was as a bobbin boy , changing spools of thread in a cotton mill 12 hours a day, 6 days a week in a Pittsburgh cotton factory. His starting wage was $ 1.20 per week ($ 42 by 2023 inflation). His father soon quit his position at the cotton mill, returning to his loom, and was again removed as

3384-539: The formation of the Carnegie Steel Company. The company headquarters were located in the Carnegie Building , an early skyscraper in Downtown Pittsburgh . Built to show its use of steel in its construction, the building was fifteen stories high and was left uncovered for a full year. The Carnegie Building was demolished in 1952. Carnegie Steel made major technological innovations in the 1880s, especially

3456-633: The installation of the open hearth furnace system at Homestead in 1886. It now became possible to make steel suitable for structural beams and, with the advanced work of George Lauder in arms and armament, for armor plate for the US Navy and the militaries of other governments, which paid far higher prices for the premium product. In addition, the plant moved increasingly toward the continuous system of production. Carnegie installed vastly improved systems of material-handling, like overhead cranes , hoists, charging machines , and buggies . All of this greatly sped

3528-520: The late 19th century. The company was formed in 1892, and was subsequently sold in 1901 in one of the largest business transactions of the early 20th century, to become a major component of U.S. Steel . The sale made Carnegie one of the richest men in history. Carnegie began the construction of his first steel mill , the Edgar Thomson Steel Works , in 1872 at Braddock, Pennsylvania . The Thomson Steel Works began producing rails in 1874. By

3600-422: The library project by 1908 to his staff, led by James Bertram (1874–1934). The first Carnegie Library opened in 1883 in Dunfermline. His method was to provide funds to build and equip the library, but only on the condition that the local authority matched that by providing the land and a budget for operation and maintenance. To secure local interest, in 1885, he gave $ 500,000 to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , for

3672-527: The life of a wealthy industrialist should comprise two parts. The first part was the gathering and the accumulation of wealth. The second part was for the subsequent distribution of this wealth to benevolent causes. Philanthropy was key to making life worthwhile. Carnegie was a well-regarded writer. He published three books on travel. In the aftermath of the Spanish–American War , the United States seemed poised to annex Cuba , Guam , Puerto Rico and

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3744-404: The most valuable of the iron ore fields around Lake Superior . Following his tour of the UK, he wrote about his experiences in a book entitled An American Four-in-hand in Britain . In 1886, Carnegie wrote his most radical work to date, entitled Triumphant Democracy . Liberal in its use of statistics to make its arguments, the book argued his view that the American republican system of government

3816-559: The neighbourhood, which is one of the poorest in Canada. The Carnegie Centre is a drug- and alcohol-free place. The Carnegie Community Centre is owned by the City of Vancouver and funded by the Social Planning Department. It is open 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., every day of the year. The centre is run by Vancouver City Staff in cooperation with the board of directors of the Carnegie Community Centre Association,

3888-485: The old land some part of the debt we owe them by revealing more clearly than ever to them the new heavens." The telescope saw first light on November 2, 1917, with Carnegie still alive. Carnegie Steel Company Carnegie Steel Company was a steel -producing company primarily created by Andrew Carnegie and several close associates to manage businesses at steel mills in the Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania area in

3960-464: The other, wealthy philanthropists favored buildings that reinforced the paternalistic metaphor and enhanced civic pride. Between 1886 and 1917, Carnegie reformed both library philanthropy and library design, encouraging a closer correspondence between the two. In 1900, Carnegie gave $ 2 million to start the Carnegie Institute of Technology (CIT) at Pittsburgh and the same amount in 1902 to create

4032-544: The people of his hometown in Dunfermline in 1879. In the following year, Carnegie gave £8,000 for the establishment of a Dunfermline Carnegie Library in Scotland. In 1884, he gave $ 50,000 to Bellevue Hospital Medical College (now part of New York University Medical Center ) to create a histological laboratory, now called the Carnegie Laboratory. In 1881, Carnegie took his family, including his 70-year-old mother, on

4104-406: The poorer classes. Man must have no idol and the amassing of wealth is one of the worst species of idolatry ! No idol is more debasing than the worship of money! Whatever I engage in I must push inordinately; therefore should I be careful to choose that life which will be the most elevating in its character. To continue much longer overwhelmed by business cares and with most of my thoughts wholly upon

4176-424: The process of steelmaking and allowed the production of far vaster quantities of steel. As the mills expanded, the labor force grew rapidly, especially less skilled workers. The more skilled union members reacted with the unsuccessful 1892 Homestead Strike along with demands for reduced working hours and against pay cuts. After the unsuccessful strike the company continued to expand and profits grew year on year, with

4248-595: The rest of his life to providing capital for purposes of public interest and social and educational advancement. He saved letters of appreciation from those he helped in a desk drawer labeled "Gratitude and Sweet Words." He provided $ 25,000 a year to the movement for spelling reform . His organization, the Simplified Spelling Board , created the Handbook of Simplified Spelling , which was written wholly in reformed spelling. Among his many philanthropic efforts,

4320-492: The rich to use their wealth to improve society, expressed support for progressive taxation and an estate tax , and stimulated a wave of philanthropy. Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland . He immigrated to what is now Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , United States with his parents in 1848 at the age of 12. Carnegie started work as a telegrapher . By the 1860s he had investments in railroads, railroad sleeping cars, bridges, and oil derricks . He accumulated further wealth as

4392-565: The steel industry. Carnegie spent energy and resources lobbying Congress for a continuation of favorable tariffs from which he earned millions of dollars a year. Carnegie tried to keep this information concealed, but legal documents released in 1900, during proceedings with the ex-chairman of Carnegie Steel, Henry Clay Frick , revealed how favorable the tariffs had been. In 1901, Carnegie was 65 years of age and considering retirement. He reformed his enterprises into conventional joint stock corporations as preparation for this. John Pierpont Morgan

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4464-409: The way to make more money in the shortest time, must degrade me beyond hope of permanent recovery. I will resign business at thirty-five, but during these ensuing two years I wish to spend the afternoons in receiving instruction and in reading systematically! Carnegie made his fortune in the steel industry, controlling the most extensive integrated iron and steel operations ever owned by an individual in

4536-399: The work was even more irksome than the factory. I had to run a small steam-engine and to fire the boiler in the cellar of the bobbin factory. It was too much for me. I found myself night after night, sitting up in bed trying the steam gauges, fearing at one time that the steam was too low and that the workers above would complain that they had not power enough, and at another time that the steam

4608-656: Was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist . Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans in history. He became a leading philanthropist in the United States, Great Britain, and the British Empire . During the last 18 years of his life, he gave away around $ 350 million ($ 10.9 billion in 2023 dollars ), almost 90 percent of his fortune, to charities, foundations and universities. His 1889 article proclaiming " The Gospel of Wealth " called on

4680-484: Was a banker and America's most important financial deal maker. He had observed how efficiently Carnegie produced profits. He envisioned an integrated steel industry that would cut costs, lower prices to consumers, produce in greater quantities and raise wages to workers. To this end, he needed to buy out Carnegie and several other major producers and integrate them into one company, thereby eliminating duplication and waste. He concluded negotiations on March 2, 1901, and formed

4752-506: Was an important proof-of-concept for steel technology, which marked the opening of a new steel market. Carnegie believed in using his fortune for others and doing more than making money. In 1868, at age 33, he wrote: I propose to take an income no greater than $ 50,000 per annum! Beyond this I need ever earn, make no effort to increase my fortune, but spend the surplus each year for benevolent purposes! Let us cast aside business forever, except for others. Let us settle in Oxford and I shall get

4824-409: Was around 18 years old, Thomas A. Scott of the Pennsylvania Railroad employed him as a secretary/telegraph operator at a salary of $ 4.00 per week ($ 146 by 2023 inflation). Carnegie accepted the job with the railroad as he saw more prospects for career growth and experience there than with the telegraph company. When Carnegie was 24 years old, Scott asked him if he could handle being superintendent of

4896-475: Was in his vertical integration of all suppliers of raw materials. In 1883, Carnegie bought the rival Homestead Steel Works , which included an extensive plant served by tributary coal and iron fields, a 425-mile-long (684 km) railway, and a line of lake steamships . In the late 1880s, Carnegie Steel was the largest manufacturer of pig iron, steel rails, and coke in the world, with a capacity to produce approximately 2,000 tons of pig iron per day. By 1889,

4968-511: Was paid to him in the form of 5%, 50-year gold bonds. The letter agreeing to sell his share was signed on February 26, 1901. On March 2, the circular formally filed the organization and capitalization (at $ 1.4 billion—4% of the U.S. gross domestic product at the time) of the United States Steel Corporation actually completed the contract. The bonds were to be delivered within two weeks to the Hudson Trust Company of Hoboken, New Jersey , in trust to Robert A. Franks, Carnegie's business secretary. There,

5040-479: Was superior to the British monarchical system. It gave a highly favorable and idealized view of American progress and criticized the British royal family. The cover depicted an upended royal crown and a broken scepter. The book created considerable controversy in the UK. The book made many Americans appreciate their country's economic progress and sold over 40,000 copies, mostly in the U.S. Although actively involved in running his many businesses, Carnegie had become

5112-472: Was too high and that the boiler might burst. In 1849, Carnegie became a telegraph messenger boy in the Pittsburgh Office of the Ohio Telegraph Company, at $ 2.50 per week ($ 92 by 2023 inflation) following the recommendation of his uncle. He was a hard worker and would memorize all of the locations of Pittsburgh's businesses and the faces of important men. He made many connections this way. He also paid close attention to his work and quickly learned to distinguish

5184-435: Was trying to build the 100-inch (2.5 m) Hooker Telescope at Mount Wilson , and donated an additional ten million dollars to the Carnegie Institution with the following suggestion to expedite the construction of the telescope: "I hope the work at Mount Wilson will be vigorously pushed, because I am so anxious to hear the expected results from it. I should like to be satisfied before I depart, that we are going to repay to

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