prominent figures of the gilded age

what were the dates of the gilded age

1870s-1900s

Andrew Carnegie

1835-1919

what was Carnegie’s industry

steel

what was Carnegie’s company

Carnegie Steel Company

what were Carnegie’s contributions

developed the modern steel industry and introduced the Bessemer process

what were Carnegie’s philanthropies

donated vast wealth to libraries, universities, and cultural institutions

John D. Rockefeller

1839-1937

what was Rockefeller’s industry

oil

what was Rockefeller’s company

Standard Oil

what were Rockefeller’s contributions

revolutionized the petroleum industry and created a near-monopoly

what were Rockefeller’s philanthropies

established the Rockefeller Foundation, University of Chicago, and medical research institutes

J.P. Morgan

1837-1913

what was Morgan’s industry

banking and finance

what was Morgan’s company

J.P. Morgan and Co.

what were Morgan’s contributions

consolidated industries (e.g., US Steel), stabilized financial markets, and bailed out the US Treasury in 1895

Cornelius Vanderbilt

1794-1877

what was Vanderbilt’s industry

railroads and shipping

what were Vanderbilt’s contributions

built a vast railroad empire, including the New York Central Railroad

what was Vanderbilt’s legacy

established Vanderbilt University

Jay Gould

1836-1892

what was Gould’s industry

railroads and finance

what were Gould’s contributions

known for railroad speculation and manipulating markets

what was the controversy with Gould

engaged in unethical business tactics, including the “Black Friday” gold scandal

Theodore Roosevelt

1858-1919

what was Roosevelt’s role

26th US president (1901-1909)

what were Roosevelt’s contributions

advocated for progressive reforms, trust-busting, conservation (National Parks), and the Square Deal

Grover Cleveland

1837-1908

what were Cleveland’s roles

22nd and 24th US president (1885-1889, 1893-1897)

what were Cleveland’s contributions

opposed corruption and fought for limited government intervention in business

William McKinley

1843-1901

what was McKinley’s role

25th US President (1897-1901)

what were McKinley’s contributions

led the US to victory in the Spanish-American War and promoted high tariffs

Jane Addams

1860-1935

what were Addams contributions

founded Hull House in Chicago, advocating for immigrants, the poor, and women’s rights

Ida B. Wells

1862-1931

what were Wells’ contributions

investigative journalist and activist against lynching and racial injustices

Jacob Riis

1849-1914

what were Riis’ contributions

photojournalist who exposed urban poverty in How the Other Half Lives (1890)

Samuel Gompers

1850-1924

what were Gompers’ contributions

founder of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), advocating for workers’ rights and better conditions

Mark Twain

1835-1910

what were Twain’s works

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Gilded Age (co-written with Charles Dudley Warner)

what were Twain’s contributions

satirized social and political corruption

Henry George

1839-1897

what were George’s works

Progress and Poverty (1879)

what were George’s contributions

proposed a single tax on land to reduce inequality

Thorstein Veblen

1857-1929

what were Veblen’s works

The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899)

what were Veblen’s contributions

critiqued the extravagance of the wealthy and introduced the concept of “conspicuous consumption”

Thomas Edison

1847-1931

what was Edison’s industry

invention and electricity

what were Edison’s contributions

invented the phonograph, the light bulb, and improvements in electrical power distribution

Alexander Graham Bell

1847-1922

what was Bell’s industry

communication

what were Bell’s contributions

invented the telephone and co-founded AT&T