John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, and J.P. Morgan rose from obscurity and created modern America in the process. On street signs, their names hang, are carved into buildings and are part of the fabric of history. John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) The founder of the Standard Oil Company, John D. Rockefeller became one of the richest men in the world and a major philanthropist. Born in humble conditions in upstate New York, he entered the the