Those who investigated further found Rockefeller bought new suits when the old ones were getting shiny, and that he preferred cloth coats (with plain sweaters, if needed) to fur coats. Many reporters were prepared to comment archly about the anticipated fanciness of Rockefeller’s clothes, yet they ended up noting he dressed neatly but abstained from rings or necktie pins. Reporters often described Standard as a terror, but Rockefeller as a terrier-he might bite and hold on, but he was not Rock the Ripper. They seemed surprised to find just a man who was, to quote a reporter from Joseph Pulitzer’s World of March 29, 1890, “well but plainly dressed, a little above the average height, well proportioned, weighing probably 180 pounds, with an intelligent and pleasant countenance, fair complexion, sandy hair and mustache intermixed with gray, a somewhat prominent nose, mild gray eyes, and an agreeably expressive mouth.” Rockefeller’s plainness puzzled reporters who expected a giant or an ogre. … very downfall is traceable directly or indirectly to the victim’s good fellowship, his good cheer among his friends, who come as quickly as they go.” Family remained. Once, when spending requests were too high, Rockefeller said, “Who do you think we are, Vanderbilts?” He taught a Sunday school class, “Don’t let good fellowship get the least hold on you. His children grew up wealthy but generally unspoiled.

When Rockefeller moved to New York City in 1884 he maintained patterns of domesticity, leading family prayers at 7:30 sharp each morning. He did read a novel once- Ben Hur-and said he enjoyed it. His journalistic reading was the Cleveland Leader and the Baptist Standard. He was in church every Sunday, unless traveling, and frequently went to church suppers and picnics, but not to theaters. They wanted business leaders to have the liberty to build, but they wanted them to lead honorable lives-and Rockefeller did. Americans sympathized with small business but not big. Let’s start with how Standard Oil’s efficiency created a potential political problem. But with great profits came great responsibility to use money discerningly-and tycoons seem to fail at that more than succeed. That’s partly a misnomer, because Rockefeller’s success was significant in improving the lives of millions who used his oil in their lamps and eventually in their cars.

In this concluding essay about his life we’ll see how he tried to move “from success to significance,” as the title of one popular business book puts it. Last month, I wrote about the rise of John D.