High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! John Davison Rockefeller (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy. In 1870, he founded the Standard Oil Company and aggressively ran it until he officially retired in 1897. Standard Oil began as an Ohio partnership formed by John D. Rockefeller, his brother William Rockefeller, Henry Flagler, Jabez Bostwick, chemist Samuel Andrews, and a silent partner, Stephen V. Harkness. As kerosene and gasoline grew in importance, Rockefeller`s wealth soared, and he became the world`s richest man and first American worth more than a billion dollars. Adjusting for inflation, he is often regarded as the richest person in history.