The son who'd make Standard Oil's fortune look like pocket change. John D. Rockefeller Jr. wasn't content inheriting millions — he wanted to remake American society. Where his father built an oil empire, Junior built institutions: Rockefeller Center, Grand Teton National Park, funded everything from archaeology to public health. But he didn't just write checks. He wrestled with labor conflicts, using his wealth to mediate between workers and industrialists. A gilded age fixer with a social conscience.
January 29, 1874
152 years ago
What Else Happened on January 29
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