however, what really sets him apart is his extraordinary generosity, fuelled by his belief that “surplus wealth is a sacred trust to be administered for the highest good of the people”.
Andrew was born on November 25, 1835, in Dunfermline, a weavers’ town in Scotland, as the elder of two sons of William Carnegie, a linen weaver, and his wife Margaret. William owned four looms and employed assistants.
However, the advent of industrialisation spelt doom for his business as power looms came up in town that could produce fabric faster and more cheaply than his hand looms. One by one he sold off his looms, and the family sunk into poverty. Finally, the Carnegies reluctantly decided to leave their country to seek their fortune in America.
Thus, in 1848, the family set sail for Pennsylvania, where they settled in Allegheny. With this, 13-yearold Andrew’s formal schooling ended, as he had to work to help support the family. He found a job as a bobbin boy in a cotton mill, changing spools of thread 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. A voracious reader, he took advantage of the generosity of an Allegheny citizen who opened his personal library of 400 books to working boys every weekend.
Two years later, Andrew became a telegraph messenger boy in the Pittsburgh office of the Ohio Telegraph Company. A hard worker, he was promoted to operator within a year. His abilities were noticed by Thomas A. Scott, the superintendent of the western division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, who made him his secretary. By age 18, Andrew Carnegie had become the superintendent of the company’s Pittsburgh division.
During the Civil War (1861–65), when Scott was named assistant secretary of war in charge of transportation, Carnegie helped organize the military telegraph system.
While working for the railroad, Carnegie began making investments. He made many wise choices and found that his investments brought good returns. He left the railroad in 1865 to focus on his other business interests. He set up the Keystone Bridge Works and built the first iron bridge over
the Ohio river. Realising that steel would soon replace iron in the manufacture of rails and pipes, he began to concentrate on the steel industry. His business, which became known as the Carnegie Steel Company, revolutionized steel production in the United States. Carnegie built plants around the country, using technology and methods that made manufacturing steel easier, faster and more
productive. His business ventures expanded to encompass the building of bridges, rails and
locomotives. By 1889, Carnegie Steel Corporation was the largest of its kind in the world, and its owner was being hailed as one of the builders of America for the role played by his business in
fuelling the economy and shaping the nation.
Carnegie was past 50 when he married Louise Whitfield, and the couple later had a daughter named
Margaret.
Carnegie travelled widely in his leisure time, met leading figures like Matthew Arnold and Mark Twain, and wrote several books. In 1870,he revisited his native Dunfermline in triumph to found a library there.
In 1901, Carnegie made a dramatic change in his life. He sold his business to the United States Steel Corporation, started by legendary financier J. P. Morgan. The rest of his life was devoted to
philanthropic activities. He gratefully remembered the man whose kindness had given him access to books. In the same spirit, Carnegie founded around 3000 libraries all over the United States and in his native Scotland. These were free to the public.
Apart from libraries, Carnegie also founded numerous schools, colleges, hospitals, public halls,
churches, and nonprofit organisations all over the world. In all, he gave away 350 million dollars in charity.
On August 11, 1919, Andrew Carnegie passed away. But his philanthropic legacy lives on after him.
