Greatest Philanthropist of the 20th Century

The tradition of philanthropizing refers to the peoples of the ancient world, the Greeks in particular.  Both then and now it aims at strengthening the culture and contributes to its sustainable development.  Every time, however, it acquires a special form depending on the epoch, the area it is spreading over and many other conditions.  According to Sherri Buri McDonald (...), "Family philanthropy has uniquely American roots, dating to the early 1900s with foundations started by steel baron Andrew Carnegie and oil tycoon Nelson Rockefeller."  Nobody can be sure of the philanthropy’s being a uniquely American phenomenon, but in the 20^th century the United States was the country of the growing interest in the issue of the efficient charitable donations.

            Mentioned above Nelson Rockefeller was not the first outstanding person in his family, he was a grandson of John Davison Rockefeller, the greatest philanthropist of the 20^th century.  "From the time of his youth, Rockefeller’s life consisted of work, family, and the Baptist church" (...).  Disciplined and hard-working, John Davison was impossible to be accused of wasting money; his giving always had a purpose.  His views were far from what was considered vain and selfish and he remained diligent in giving to charity. Rockefeller never ceased taking advantage of the opportunities and using his power to make money for the good of mankind.  One of his greatest contributions was the establishing of a new Baptist university, nowadays known as the University of Chicago, the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research and the Rockefeller Foundation. Thus, he met Baptist educational needs in the country, formed the basis for conducting modern scientific studies and began a new epoch in the United States.

Though being born in the 19^th century, John Davison was more than ever engaged into ambitious philanthropic projects in the afternoon of his life. In the early 1910s John Davison Rockefeller handed over his business to his son who was proud of carrying on the family’s philanthropic tradition. Even in the new millennium the offspring of John Rockefeller Sr. are still holding to it.