Andrew Carnegie

Born in Dunfermline, Scotland, in 1835, he moved with his family to Pennsylvania in 1848 and began working while still very young. Early jobs in a cotton mill and telegraph office led to work with the Pennsylvania Railroad, where he learned the habits of business and investing that would make him wealthy.

He became a central force in the growth of the American steel industry in the late nineteenth century, building Carnegie Steel into one of the most powerful companies of its time. His life is often told as a classic rise-from-poverty story, though it also sits alongside the harsher realities of industrial labor and conflict in that era.

After selling his steel company, he turned more fully to philanthropy and became famous for giving away vast sums of money. He supported thousands of public libraries and helped found major educational, scientific, and peace organizations, leaving a legacy that extends far beyond business.