The Father of Public Libraries

Few “rags to riches” stories compare to that of Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant who later became one of the most famous and wealthy industrialists of his time. He was born in Scotland in 1835. The son of a weaver, his family expected him to follow in his father’s steps. However, the Industrial Revolution changed their plans. Mechanized looms replaced weavers, and Andrew’s father had to beg for work. Carnegie vowed that when he was older, he would rise up out of poverty. At the same time, Carnegie learned from relatives about equality in the workforce and the rights of common workers.

Carnegie’s family fled to America to seek better opportunities. Carnegie began his career among the working class, taking jobs in factories and the telegraph industry. In each job he held, Carnegie did his best. He embraced new and greater responsibilities. In time, he followed a coworker from the telegraph office into the railroad business. He worked for the railroads throughout the Civil War. After the war, Carnegie realized the potential of iron and steel. He resigned from the railroad to work for a bridge company before investing in the steel industry. Carnegie was willing to take incredible risks for the ideas and technology in which he believed. He said workers should form unions to protect their rights. However, Carnegie pushed his employees to work long hours for low wages. After working in the steel business for several years, he sold his company to J.P. Morgan.

Carnegie believed it was a disgrace to die rich. He turned his efforts to giving away his millions. Acting on his opinions that people should help themselves, he supported institutions of higher learning. Carnegie also established over two thousand libraries. He valued peace and built a “palace of peace” in the Netherlands that would later become an international court. Before he died, Carnegie gave away over 350 million dollars, a fortune even by today’s standards.