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Summary: Patriarch & philanthropist or rapacious Robber-Baron or...
Review: ... something in between these two extremes. How should we view John D Rockefeller Sr? There are many biographies of the man and they usually see him as one of these extremes. Chernow explains it this way "like many moguls of the Gilded Age, Rockefeller was either glorified by partisan biographers, who could see no wrong, or villified by vitriolic critics, who could see no right". Chernow hopes to find that "often elusive voice - neither too sympathetic nor too sharp". He is a good candidate to do so having previously written an excellent biography of JP Morgan and because he writes with a clear, readable prose and very easy style. Does Chernow succeed in striking a balance between the good, the bad - and I dare say some would argue, - the ugly aspects of 19th Century American business culture and it's leaders, as represented in the person of JD Rockefeller? Yes, I think Chernow does find a middle ground. Let's look at some of the characteristics of Rockefeller mentioned in the book and you can judge for yourself.Rockefeller grew up with a tremendous respect for his mother and later developed an "abiding respect for women" in general. A lot of it stems from what his mother put up with and went through married to a bigamist husband. Rockefeller's father actually brought his pregnant mistress into their home. Rockefeller also learned something else from his mother - a deep love of God. This was strengthened with his marriage to Laura Celestia Spelman (Cettie), a pious, church loving woman. Rockefeller himself became very active in the Baptist church and practiced an evangelical faith which guided his personal and working life. According to him, sacrifice and hard work were the basis of a sound moral charcter. He is quoted as saying "I have always regarded it as a religious duty to get all I could and to give all I could". This, we all know, Rockefeller demonstrated later in life by donating millions of dollars to charities and funding numerous endowments. Chernow also portrays him as a good father who frequently left work early to play with his children. We can't talk about Rockefeller without talking about Standard Oil, which prior to Microsoft and IBM, was the best known case of the US Government and a private company at loggerheads over business practices. To say that some of Standard Oil's behaviour was 'improper business practices' though, would be like saying Microsoft is a supplier in the computer industry - a vast understatement! Standard Oil has been responsible for some of the most nefarious acts in US business history such as the 'Cleveland massacre' in 1872 and the 'Ludlow massacre' of 1914. The first of these 'slaughters' showed Rockefeller at his ruthless best. Through an underhand deal that would please any robber baron worthy of the name, Rockefeller, in one move, struck down and swallowed up 22 out of 26 of his competitors. The victims in the second massacre were not companies but people. Colorado militiamen engaged in a battle with striking miners - 13 were killed, 11 were miner's children. As an industrialist, Rockefeller had no use for labour unions, nor as we have seen did he much care for competition. Rockefeller's solution to "ruinous competition" was deliberate, straightforward and simple. He "conspired to kill competitive capitalism in favour of a new monopoly capitalism" - a system which he intended to rule and in fact did rule when he reigned as America's most powerful industrialist and the world's richest human. The book is best in describing his early years, the development and growth of the oil business and Standard Oil and also Rockefeller's later years when he became a philanthropist and likable old eccentric. From start to finish a balanced, well written, easy to read, detailed analysis of a man, a company and a time, not so long ago in America's past, but surely none of which we will ever see again.
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Summary: A fascinating look at Rockefeller's life--and at capatilism
Review: Chernow has a very balance view of Rockefellers life--and VERY thorough. As a master author, he makes it incredibly fascinating. I was surprised to find this tome a real page turner. Great insights into human nature, capitalism, government--life.
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Summary: An American Business History Classic
Review: Chernow's excellent book on JDR reminded me often of the business philosophy of my great-grandfather, grandfather, and father: never tell the press anything, not even to defend or correct outright lies. It didn't work for Rockefeller nor did it work for them in the long run. This book takes one back through the business practices of the second half of the 19th century, particularly the creation of "trusts," a now common form of organization but back then entirely new. Another surprise was the incredible amount of corruption then existing in our political system. I believe this book shows how the rise of the individual investor, our insistent demands for timely and accurate information, our free press, and our ability to vote out corrupt congressmen and senators have benefitted the U.S., especially when one compares our system to those in other countries. I live in Brazil at the moment, and corruption and the lack of a truly free press are the two most detrimental forces impeding the progress of this country. There is vast potential here, but it is paralyzed by the political system. I have been interested in knowing how the U.S. reduced its corruption to a "tolerable" level. I believe this book offers a partial explanation. There is also a vast amount of historical detail describing systems of distribution, another great American forte. Any ambitious business person should gain several insights into successful (and unsuccessful) business strategies.
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Summary: Must Reading for All Business Owners & CEOs
Review: Whether you are currently an Owner or CEO of any sized business or will be, John D. Sr. certainly set the standard for all Chief Executive Officers and Owners to follow. Although it appears to be another "book by the pound" the pages read quickly and the content is intoxicating. Senior, more than a century ago, exemplified the skills and thinking required to best grow your business and do something for the community and mankind in the process. It may well be that Jack Welch is Senior's reincarnate. While you are waiting for Jack to complete his much anticipated book, once he completes the Honeywell deal, you should first read this book about the original "Master". By my standards this book is rated "WOW!"
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Summary: Finest business biography I've ever read
Review: While John Rockefeller is one of the most famous and influential men in American history, he has nonetheless come down to Americans in caricature: steely-faced, secretive, greedy, crafty, and ruthless. He was certainly all these, but Ron Chernow has in this book laid bare for us the rest of the story, which is complex, exhilarating, quirky, and rich in paradox. A business genius, Rockefeller was a pivotal figure in developing the modern corporation as the organizational vehicle for controlling massive capital-intensive operations. Recognizing early on that an empire of the scale he envisioned could not be run effectively in the autocratic style still common in his day, he rarely made important decisions without seeking debate and achieving a common mind among his key associates, foreshadowing the "consensus-management" style typical of large-scale enterprise today. His most flagrant sin, and the one that fueled the political backlash against Standard Oil, was the ruthlessness with which he crushed competitors. However, even here he played by the cold-blooded rules as he saw them and was rarely vindictive. When advantageous to himself, as it often was, he extended the olive branch to vanquished rivals, buying out their companies and drawing them into his organization, making at least some of them richer than they could have been on their own. This was not generosity but the inexorable mechanism whereby he expanded Standard Oil into a monopoly. Nevertheless, generosity - paradoxical as it seems - was in fact central to Rockefeller's life. Chernow traces Rockefeller's philanthropy back to his deepest roots as the dutiful son of an intensely religious Baptist mother. We seem him tithing to his church and devoting his time and attention to charity and "good works" already at the start of his career when he was a salaried bookkeeper struggling to put food on his family's table. He made his fortune relatively early in what proved to be a very long life, and he gradually backed away from active management of his company, focusing his colossal energies for most of his mature years on his philanthropic enterprises. There is a wealth of personal material in this book that makes Rockefeller very human, albeit eccentric. His passion as an old man for golf, for example, was almost comical. He despised high-society and ostentation, and socialized mostly with business cronies, family members and people from the smallish Baptist church he was devoted to his entire life. One of the more fascinating threads concerns his ne'er-do-well father, an itinerant huckster and small-time swindler who largely abandoned his family to near-poverty, but had a habit of re-appearing at odd times througout his son's life. Chernow leads us to speculate that the fanatical discipline and devotion to duty which drove Rockefeller might have been a reaction formation against his irresponsible paterfamilias. Who knows? Like all biographies, even the best ones, this book in the end fails to "explain" it's subject, and if anything Rockefeller emerges from it more enigmatic than ever. But the book brings him alive and left me with the desire to know more about him, always the mark of a top-notch biography. That's what this one is and I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Best Biography Ever Read
Review: Ron Chernow has poignantly put together a tale detailing the life of one of Americas wealthiest and most driven individuals. The book is not only interesting, but entirely absorbing. Be prepared to spend sometime reading since it is a little long. This book should be required reading for anyone looking for direction in their career or would like to take control of their life. There are insights that helped me to begin to understand the drive and hunger required to reach the pinnacle of business.
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Summary: A Must Read for Business Entrepreneurs
Review: It does not do the author justice to say the book is well written -- it is superb. Ron Chernow's book far surpasses any expectations one could have for a biography. He raises the bar even higher for other biographers to achieve this level of in-depth researching, analysis, and writing. How fortunate we are that Ron Chernow tackled the complicated subject and the life of John D. Rockefeller with such evenhanded perspective. Indeed, we learn that the United States was fortunate to have had John D. Rockefeller as an entrepreneur, monoplies and all. It is fascinating to learn about John D. Rockefeller's business acumen and personal growth. There are still relevant lessons that we should learn and not repeat from his life in the business world. However, there are even more lessons that businessmen and women should learn from John D. Rockefeller's humanity. I heartily recommend this book for serious readers.
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Summary: Back making headlines again¿
Review: Ron Chernow is as good a biographer as any writing today, and he continues to produce scholarly studies at a consistent level of excellence. He has now added his study of John D. Rockefeller Sr. in the form of "Titan" to his previously exceptional works, "The House Of Morgan", and 'The Warburgs". The reference I make to headlines has to do with Standard Oil and anti-trust issues, which I will come back to a bit later. The title of the book is appropriate as Mr. Rockefeller continually redefined what it meant to be wealthy, to be powerful, a ruthless competitor, and at times a businessman that would use violence if he felt it appropriate. He operated during a time when the constraints upon business were few, and the taxation of business was non-existent compared to today. This is not to detract from what he accomplished. Were he to have started his career recently his fortune may not have been quite so grand, but this was clearly an exceptional man, driven by his insatiable desire for the consolidation of power combined with his belief that what he did was what his God meant for him to do. He was the Paternalist, chosen to accumulate his great wealth, and then distribute it as he saw fit. This sense of divine right was not something I had read before and it added a quality that was almost surreal. Standard Oil is a name that has been in the headlines many times recently as people look to draw comparisons to the anti-trust issues that Microsoft is facing. The AT&T breakup is also mentioned, and for the reporter who digs a bit deeper, the break up of the aluminum monopoly. Every time the comparison is made to Standard Oil I get nauseated, and I believe for good reason. Mr. Rockefeller controlled not only commodities, but controlled the process from the time the raw material came from the ground, was refined, nearly anytime it was moved, pipelines, railroads, and their owners by requiring he be paid through preferential treatment at the expense of the few competitors that were constantly being erased. And his competitors were erased with private security forces, and lethal force if necessary. None of us can operate without oil, or its byproducts. This natural resource is unique and without it, to keep the issue local, this Country would simply stop. We went to war to ensure foreign supplies were not monopolized, the commodity is that important. If there is a meeting that 10 people travel to, they will all use a fossil fuel to get there. Your car, their car, the airplane, none are affected by what name brand of fuel they consume. A commodity is generic. Now the 10 arrive in a conference room and open 10 laptop computers. They have 10 different operating systems none of which work with the other. Standard Oil equals Microsoft?, would you go on National Television and utter something so utterly moronic? Disraeli said, "Read no history, nothing but biography, for that is life without theory." He did not say that autobiography should be read, nor what we are now often offered, the memoir, as the latter two by definition must be suspect as to objectivity. The authorized biography is a variant that again must be suspect to the extent it must past muster with the subject or the subject's heirs. Mr. Chernow demonstrates, like the few biographers writing at his level, how timeless the study of the individuals who "make" so much of our History is. It is unfortunate that so little History is accurately memorialized, and even worse, how those who are ignorant of the History they use, are so readily prepared to disperse it. The study of History is time consuming but almost effortless when written as well as "Titan". It is pathetic that so much of our History can be destroyed by the ill informed, the lazy, in a single sound bite. Mr. Chernow is a great asset to all of us, I wish only that more would read such work, be enriched by it, and demand more from those who disseminate bad information, who sadly are even ignorant of how wrong they are.
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Summary: Complex individual.
Review: Chernow is one of the few biographers who can take an enormous amount of information on a subject and create a book that is even-handed and interesting. Since this is a figure that is both reviled and lionized, I think the author's purpose was to present all sides to this complex person and let the reader come to his own conclusions. Chernow's research of Rockefeller's childhood reveals a lot about the way he turned out as an adult, and the author's writing style points out both his strengths and shortcomings as well as showing how Standard Oil's rise to the top came about and the ruthless actions Rockefeller took to get it there. In the latter part of the book, as Rockefeller retires and ages, the book concentrates mostly on John Jr. as well as his daughters and heirs. While this was necessary for a complete story, I felt some of this could have been edited better. This is still a first-rate, detailed biography.
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Summary: A Prize Historical Writing!
Review: Being a former history I really enjoyed this book. This book tells of John D. Rockefeller's rise from abject poverty to the status of richest man in the universe. His creation and building of the Standard Oil empire is covered very well from start to finish in this excellent book. Many of the companies that were created as a result of the breakup of Standard Oil by the use of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act are industry giants today. His shortcomings are well outlined in this book also. This is an outstanding book that gave me a new respect for John D. Rockefeller and his industrial giant Standard Oil. Be sure to read this book.
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