I was born July 8, 1839, in Richmond, New York. I built my first oil refinery near Cleveland in 1870 incorporated the Standard Oil Company. By 1882 I had a almost full monopoly in the oil refinery business. The government started to investigate me because of the high productivity and that I almost had a full monopoly. My company had a net worth of $55 million. I donated some of my money to help found different things. I helped fund for the University of Chicago and well as the Rockefeller Institute.