Franklin Rockefeller (August 8, 1845 – April 15, 1917) was an American businessman and member of the prominent

Rockefeller family The Rockefeller family () is an American industrial, political, and banking family that owns one of the world's largest fortunes. The fortune was made in the American petroleum industry during the late 19th and early 20th centuries by broth ...

Early life

He and his younger twin sister Frances, who died young, were born on August 8, 1845, in

Moravia, New York Moravia is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 3,626 at the 2010 census. The town of Moravia contains a village also called Moravia. The town is in the Finger Lakes region, south of Auburn. History Moravia wa ...

. They were the youngest children of con artist William Avery "Bill" Rockefeller (1810–1906) and Eliza Davison (1813–1889). His two older brothers were

Standard Oil Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co- ...

co-founders

John Davison Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American business magnate and philanthropist. He has been widely considered the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history. Rockefeller was ...

(1839–1937) and William Avery Rockefeller Jr. (1841–1922). Rockefeller's early years were spent in

Richford, New York Richford is a town in Tioga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,052 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Ezekial Rich, an early settler and benefactor of the town. The Town of Richford is the northernmost town in the coun ...

. With his father, he moved to

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...

, which would be the home base of his business endeavors.

Career

In September 1861, while still underage, he joined the

7th Ohio Infantry The 7th Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment formed in northeastern Ohio for service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the Eastern Theater in a number of campaigns and battles with the Army of Virginia ...

and participated as an infantryman in the battles of Winchester, Port Republic, Cedar Mountain, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Lookout Mountain, and other battles including Sherman's march to Atlanta. He was wounded in the head by grape shot at Chancellorsville.Itinerary of the Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Edited and Compiled by Lawrence Wilson, The Neale Company, 1907. He held various jobs in Cleveland, eventually becoming involved in his brothers' Standard Oil Co. Frank became one of the principal promoters of the company, and later served as its vice president. However, Rockefeller fell out with his brothers and left Standard Oil in 1898. The rift was caused by John D. not taking consideration of Frank's other interests in the Pioneer Oil Company, and quarrels with Frank's partner, James Corrigan, with whom he owned the Franklin Mine near Lake Superior. He moved with his family to a large ranch in

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

, but he later returned to

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

. The 8,000-acre ranch stood on a large tract of cheap land in Belvidere, Kansas, west of Wichita (originally spotted by his father on his travels). The property was remote from railroads, and his cattle could graze on vast, unfenced plains. Eventually the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and ...

brought in fresh settlers shrinking the free range for cattlemen. This ruined the ranch for breeding beef, and Frank tried futilely to sell the depreciated property. Frank formed a business relationship with Feargus B. Squire and

Herman Frasch Herman Frasch r Hermann Frasch(December 25, 1851 in Oberrot bei Gaildorf, Württemberg – May 1, 1914 in Paris) was a chemist, mining engineer and inventor known for his work with petroleum and sulfur. Biography Early life He was the son of Joh ...

, acquiring a three-tenths interest in the Frasch Process. All three then entered into a 50-50 agreement with the American Sulphur Company to form the

Union Sulphur Company The Union Sulphur Company was an American sulfur mining corporation founded in 1896 by the famous inventor Herman Frasch. It utilized the Frasch Process to extract previously inaccessible sulfur deposits located beneath swampland in Louisiana. ...

. Frank was not as suited to business as his brothers. He invested around $500,000 in mining ventures, which proved unsound, and also invested $250,000 in unfruitful commercial paper. Frank found stability when he invested in the Buckeye Steel Castings Company of Columbus in 1892. He became president of the company in 1905, and served in that capacity until 1908, when the presidency was assumed by Samuel Prescott Bush. Frank Rockefeller continued as vice president of the company. Frank Rockefeller refused to speak to his brothers John and William Jr. until his death, despite William attempting reconciliation in the summer of 1916. Frank said later that year "There's not the slightest possibility of a reconciliation." Frank died the following year. His funeral was held on April 17, 1917, at the home of Mrs. Walter S. Bowler. The funeral was attended by his brothers, John and William, the former being described in the press as "looking tired and careworn."

Early life

Career

References

Further reading