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Funded the construction of 2,509 libraries and thousands of church organs across the world.

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Meet the Father of Modern Philanthropy

Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was among the wealthiest and most famous industrialists of his day. Through Carnegie Corporation of New York, the innovative philanthropic foundation he established in 1911, his fortune has since supported everything from the discovery of insulin and the dismantling of nuclear weapons, to the creation of Pell Grants and Sesame Street. The work of the Corporation and its grantees has helped shape public discourse and policy for more than one hundred years. Millions of people have benefited from Carnegie's foresighted generosity - a legacy of real and permanent good. We invite you to learn more about this remarkable man's life through an interactive timeline, historical documents, photographs, audio, and more.

Andrew Carnegie's Peak Wealth in Comparison to Modern-Day Billionaires

In 1900, Andrew Carnegie created a $2 million endowment for a few technical schools in Pittsburgh that provided training at the secondary level. These schools quickly evolved into the Carnegie Institute of Technology, a college that received an additional endowment of more than $7 million. In 1967, the Carnegie Institute merged with the Mellon Institute to become Carnegie Mellon University. Today, the university has colleges in engineering, fine arts, science, industrial administration, humanities, and social sciences.

The Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs was established in 1914, with a $2 million endowment, as the Church Peace Union. Through that organization, Andrew Carnegie hoped to mobilize the world's churches, religious organizations, and other spiritual and moral resources to join in promoting moral leadership and finding alternatives to armed conflict. The organization thrived and expanded its focus, resulting in its renaming as the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs in 1986. Today it is the world's premier institute for research and education in ethics and international policy. It provides a forum for those who explore the ethical dilemmas posed by issues such as deadly conflict, human rights violations, environmental protection, global economic disparities, and the politics of reconciliation.

Champion for Peace

By the time of his death, Andrew Carnegie, despite his best efforts, had not been able to give away his entire fortune. He had distributed $350 million, but had $30 million left, which went into the Corporation's endowment. Toward the end of his life, Carnegie, a pacifist, had a single goal: achieving world peace. He believed in the power of international laws and trusted that future conflicts could be averted through mediation. He supported the founding of the Peace Palace in The Hague in 1903, gave $10 million to found the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in 1910 to "hasten the abolition of international war," and worked ceaselessly for the cause until the outbreak of World War I. He died, still brokenhearted about the failure of his efforts, in August 1919, two months after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.

Carnegie indicated it was the first reason that mattered most to him. Growing up working long hours in Pittsburgh, he had no access to formal education. However, a retired merchant, Colonel Anderson, loaned books from his small library to local boys, including Carnegie. As he later wrote in praise of Anderson, "This is but a slight tribute and gives only a faint idea of the depth of gratitude which I feel for what he did for me and my companions. It was from my own early experience that I decided there was no use to which money could be applied so productive of good to boys and girls who have good within them and ability and ambition to develop it, as the founding of a public library in a community.

The Gospel of Wealth, Andrew Carnegie's most famous essay, was written in 1889 and describes the responsibility of philanthropy by the new upper class of self-made rich. The central thesis of Carnegie's essay is that the wealthy entrepreneur must assume the responsibility of distributing his fortune in a manner that assures that it will be put to good use, and not wasted on frivolous expenditure. The very existence of poverty in a capitalistic society, Carnegie believed, could be greatly alleviated by wealthy philanthropic businessmen and women. The Gospel of Wealth is an eloquent testament to the importance of charitable giving for the public good.

Citation:
Andrew Carnegie. 1889

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Andrew Carnegie - Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy

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Meet the Father of Modern Philanthropy Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was among the wealthiest and most famous industrialists of his day. Through Carnegie Corporation of New York, the innovative philanthropic foundation he established in 1911, his fortune has since supported everything from the discovery of insulin and the dismantling of nuclear weapons, to the creation of Pell Grants and Sesame Street.

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One of the most successful buisness leaders in the 19th century, leading the expansion of the steel industry.

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Links to anything we use, anything useful. Add on!

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Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was among the most famous and wealthy industrialists of his day. Through the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the innovative philanthropic foundation he established in 1911, his fortune has since supported everything from the discovery of insulin and the dismantling of nuclear weapons, to the creation of Sesame Street and the Common Core Standards.

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Gave away $350 million to trusts and charities. Valued at over $6 billion in today's currency.

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Very successful steel company.

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Established several educational institutions, including Carnegie Mellon University.

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He was a immigrant from Scotland

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Came from humble beginnings, first job paid $1.20 a week

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Although wages were low, Carnegie employed about 40,000 men, men that may have gone jobless without Carnegie's steel mills.

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The Man Who Gave Away 6 Billion Dollars - Andrew Carnegie #shorts