Taking on the Trust: The Epic Battle of Ida Tarbell and John D. Rockefeller

Taking on the Trust: The Epic Battle of Ida Tarbell and John D. Rockefeller by Steve Weinberg

The title is a bit misleading. This is primarily a biography of Ida Tarbell interleaved with a biography of Rockefeller. The "battle" is a muckraking exposé that happens near the end. Though not much of a battle, it did turn public sentiment away from Rockefeller. I'm not sure if he cared. He was heavily involved in running his company. However, for his philanthropy he did things quietly with little involvement. His strong Christian background may have contributed to this "doing good in secret". He helped found Rockefeller University and University of Chicago - two institutions that have produced a huge number of Nobel Prize winners. He also funded significant public health research and education. His philanthropic legacy is among the most important, yet least publicized.

Rockefeller first had to accumulate his fortune. He did that in the oil industry. He initially focussed on refining. Gradually he got into all aspects of oil. His companies grew and used economies of scale to their benefit. They got sweetheart deals from railroads to transport oil and were able to benefit from uses and innovation. Government tried to crack down on Standard Oil's power. However, they were often able to maneuver around these regulations to their benefit.

Ida Tarbell was from the original "oil country" in Pennsylvania. She was a dedicated career woman who loved to write. She had decided that she would not marry or date. (The author does bring up the possibility of lesbianism, but the evidence points to celibacy.) She had a falling out with a boss that may have been due to a romantic come on. She did not follow the feminist doctrine and advocate for woman to stay at home with their families. She settled into writing for a magazine and would heavily research her topics. She did big, heavily researched stories on Napoleon and Lincoln. Then her story finally intersected with Rockefeller as she did her story on Standard Oil. It brought her fame and sold well. It damaged Rockefeller. Both of their legacies relied on each other, even though they never met.