Carnegie (ANDREW an American)

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

ANDREW, an American manufacturer and philanthropist, born in Dunfermline, Scotland, Nov. 25, 1837. He came to the United States in 1848, settled in Pittsburgh, became a telegraph operator and later a railroad superintendent. During the Civil War he served the Government as superintendent of military railways and telegraph lines in the East, and after the conflict was over established great iron works at Pittsburgh, with which city his business interests have been chiefly idenid ANDREW CARNEGIE He introduced the Bessemer tified. process of making steel in 1868. The extensive industries that he controlled were consolidated in 1889 into the Carnegie Steel Company, the largest plant of its kind in the country. In 1901 his interests were bought and merged by J. P. Morgan into the United States Steel Corporation. Mr. Carnegie then retired from business and devoted himself entirely to philanthropic and social welfare purposes. Up to June 1, 1918, he had given away $350,000,000. Over $60,000,000 of this amount was expended in the construction of 2,811 public libraries, while many more millions were devoted to their endowment. His benefac CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT 358 tions were not confined to the United States, for many millions were expended in Great Britain, especially his native Scotland. He wrote several books, of which the best known are: "Round the World" (1884); "Triumphant Democracy" (1886); "Gospel of Wealth" (1900); "The Empire of Business" (1902); and "Problems of To-day" (1908). He died at Lenox, Mass., Aug. 11, 1919. (See titles directly following.) CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE, an institution founded and endowed by Andrew Carnegie for promoting peace among the nations of the world. Ten million dollars were set aside as an endowment in 1910. Mr. Carnegie had been keenly interested in the Hague Tribunal, for which he had offered to provide a building at his own expense. In the deed of gift for the Endowment he told the trustees, Dec. 14, 1910, that the funds "are to be administered by you to hasten the abolition of international war, the foulest blot upon our civilization." S Some of the most distinguished men in the country had been selected as trustees. The outbreak of the World War in 1914 prevented the carrying out of the work of the Endowment. Once the war was on, however, the trustees did not hesitate to advocate the overthrow of Germany. On April 20, 1917, they warmly indorsed the act of the President in declaring war and appropriated half a million dollars for the purpose of reconstructing the devastated homes of Belgium, France, Serbia, and Russia.