Even More Ruthless
By 1872, 26 oil companies operated factories in Cleveland, Ohio. In just under four months, Standard Oil managed to take over 22 of them. Rockefeller was driven as much by his contempt for wastefulness as he was by greed. His tactics were less than honorable, and he frequently made secret deals with competing refineries, pitting them against each other and taking over both of them.
John D. Rockefeller Sr. Photo by Granger / Shutterstock
As he lowered his competition, and the number of people who would complain about how he conducted his businesses, he also manipulated the railroads against each other to gain better shipping rates for his company. Then, he would buy out smaller refineries that couldn’t afford to compete. Consumers were still satisfied since he drove down kerosene prices for personal use. This made Standard Oil one of the most recognized consumer companies in the country.