10 Interesting Facts About Andrew Carnegie
Published · Last updated
Last updated: November 2026
Andrew Carnegie arrived in America as a poor 13-year-old immigrant and became one of the richest men in history. Then he spent the rest of his life trying to give it all away.
Here are 10 facts about the steel king, from his first $1.20-a-week job to the 2,509 libraries that still carry his name.
Quick answer: Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919) was a Scottish-born American industrialist who built Carnegie Steel into the largest steel company in the world. He sold it to J.P. Morgan in 1901 for $480 million, and the business became the core of U.S. Steel. He then gave away about $350 million, funding 2,509 libraries, Carnegie Hall, Carnegie Mellon University and several foundations that still operate today.
Andrew Carnegie timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Nov. 25, 1835 | Born in Dunfermline, Scotland |
| 1848 | Family emigrates to Allegheny, Pennsylvania; he starts work as a bobbin boy |
| Dec. 1, 1859 | Becomes superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Western Division |
| 1887 | Marries Louise Whitfield |
| 1889 | Publishes “The Gospel of Wealth” |
| 1891 | Carnegie Hall opens in New York |
| July 6, 1892 | Homestead Strike battle leaves 10 dead |
| 1897 | Daughter Margaret is born |
| 1901 | Sells Carnegie Steel to J.P. Morgan for $480 million |
| 1902–1911 | Founds the Carnegie Institution, Hero Fund, Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Endowment for International Peace and Carnegie Corporation |
| Aug. 11, 1919 | Dies in Lenox, Massachusetts |
1. He came to America as a poor 13-year-old
Carnegie was born on November 25, 1835, in Dunfermline, Scotland. His father was a handloom weaver whose trade was being wiped out by steam-powered mills. In 1848 the family emigrated to Allegheny, Pennsylvania, now part of Pittsburgh.
2. His first job paid $1.20 a week
At 13, Carnegie went to work as a bobbin boy in a cotton mill, changing spools of thread for $1.20 a week. He later became a telegraph messenger, then a telegraph operator.
3. He ran a railroad division at 24
His telegraph skills caught the eye of the Pennsylvania Railroad. On December 1, 1859, he became superintendent of its Western Division. By 30 he had invested in iron works, steamers, railroads and oil wells.
4. He built the world’s largest steel company
After the Civil War, Carnegie founded the Keystone Bridge Works and moved into iron and then steel. He controlled every step of production, from mines to mills to railroads, and adopted the new Bessemer process early. Carnegie Steel became the largest steel company in the world. His motto, as he put it, was to watch costs and let profits take care of themselves.
5. The Homestead Strike stained his reputation
In 1892, while Carnegie was in Scotland, his partner Henry Clay Frick locked out workers at the Homestead steel works near Pittsburgh. On July 6, a battle between strikers and Pinkerton guards left 10 men dead: seven strikers and three Pinkertons. The strike lasted 143 days and broke the union. Carnegie’s image as a friend of workers never fully recovered.
6. He sold out to J.P. Morgan for $480 million
In 1901, Carnegie sold Carnegie Steel to banker J.P. Morgan for $480 million. Morgan made it the core of the new U.S. Steel.
7. He believed the rich had a duty to give it away
In his 1889 essay “The Gospel of Wealth,” Carnegie argued that the wealthy should use their fortunes for the public good during their lifetimes. He followed his own advice. By his death he had given away about $350 million, and he left another $30 million to the Carnegie Corporation of New York’s endowment.
8. He funded 2,509 libraries
Carnegie paid more than $55 million to build 2,509 libraries around the world, 1,679 of them in the United States. Towns had to provide the land and promise to fund the library’s upkeep. Many of these buildings still serve as libraries today.
9. His name is on some of America’s best-known institutions
Carnegie Hall opened in New York in 1891. He also founded the Carnegie Institution in Washington (1902), the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission (1904), the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (1905), the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (1910) and the Carnegie Corporation of New York (1911). His technical schools in Pittsburgh became today’s Carnegie Mellon University.
10. He spent his last years working for world peace
Carnegie gave $1.5 million in 1903 to build the Peace Palace in The Hague, now home to the International Court of Justice, and $10 million to found the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He died on August 11, 1919, in Lenox, Massachusetts, survived by his wife, Louise, and their daughter, Margaret.
Frequently asked questions
What was Andrew Carnegie’s first job? He worked as a bobbin boy in a Pittsburgh-area cotton mill, earning $1.20 a week.
How much money did Andrew Carnegie give away? About $350 million during his lifetime, plus $30 million left to the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
How many children did Andrew Carnegie have? One, a daughter named Margaret, born in 1897.
What is Andrew Carnegie most famous for? Building Carnegie Steel and then giving away most of his fortune, including 2,509 libraries and Carnegie Hall.
How did Andrew Carnegie make his money? Mainly in steel. He also profited from early investments in railroads, sleeping cars, iron, bridges and oil.
When did Andrew Carnegie die? August 11, 1919, at his home in Lenox, Massachusetts. He was 83.
Sources
- Andrew Carnegie’s Story, Carnegie Corporation of New York
- Andrew Carnegie, Wikipedia
