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''' John Davison Rockefeller, Sr. ''' ([[July 8]], [[1839]] – [[May 23]], [[1937]]) was an [[United States|American]] [[industrialist]] and [[philanthropist]]. He revolutionized the [[oil industry]] and defined the structure of modern philanthropy. Rockefeller
lieved since he was a child that his purpose in life was to make as much money as possible, and then use it wisely to improve the lot of mankind. In 1862, Rockefeller founded the [[Standard Oil]] company and ran it until he retired in the late 1890s. He kept his stock and as gasoline grew in importance, his wealth soared and he became the [[List of America's richest people|world's richest man]] and first [[billionaire]]. Standard Oil was convicted in the [[Federal Court]] of monopolistic practices and broken up in 1911. Rockefeller spent the last forty years of his life creating the modern systematic approach of targeted philanthropy, creating foundations that had a major impact on medicine, education, and scientific research. His foundations pioneered the development of medical research, and was instrumental in the eradication of [[hookworm]] and [[yellow fever]]. He was a devout [[Northern Baptist Convention|Northern Baptist]] and supported many church-based institutions throughout his life.
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