In his day, John D. Rockefeller, Sr. was the richest man in the world, the Elon Musk of that era. He was reviled as a ruthless businessman, amassing a near-total monopoly in the oil business. And yet, he was also very religious and revered as a generous philanthropist who aided a wide variety of causes, especially universities and medical centers.

Biographer Ron Chernow does a thorough job of exploring these contradictions. As he summarized on page 675 —

In truth, John D. Rockefeller, Sr. had left behind a contradictory legacy. An amalgam of godliness and greed, compassion and fiendish cunning, he personified the ambiguous heritage of America’s Puritan ancestors, who had encouraged thrift and enterprise but had also spurred overly acquisitive instincts. He had extracted mixed messages from his religious training as well as from his incongruously matched parents. Not surprisingly, he had served as an emblem of both corporate greed and philanthropic enlightenment.

…Rockefeller’s stewardship of Standard Oil had signaled a new era in American life that had both inspired and alarmed the populace. His unequaled brilliance and rapacity as a businessman had squarely confronted the country with troubling questions about the shape of the economy, the distribution of wealth, and the proper relationship between business and government.

What I particularly liked about this biography was the insight into Rockefeller’s family. His father was a con man and bigamist, disappearing for months at a time, only to return with pockets full of cash. One brother was a business partner, the other turned on him, apparently envious of his success. His four children’s lives are discussed in detail, as are his son’s six children. I especially remember his grandchild Nelson, who served as governor of New York and vice president under President Gerald Ford.

Are there parallels to today’s world? I hope the current generation of billionaires pay less attention to Rockefeller’s business practices and learn more from his religious faith and philanthropy.

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000XUDGHG?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_digi_asin_title_351_2)

This was a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist.