Other States Join the War Against Rockefeller
After Pennsylvania leveled an indictment on John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil for creating a monopoly that literally controlled the United Stated oil industry, other states joined the legal action. Each state that initiated investigations or brought charges only did so in its own borders, not in federal court.
John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937). American Oil Magnate. Photographed In His Electric Car, 1920. Photo By Granger/Shutterstock
Rockefeller needed to face each state individually, based on the laws and practices specific to each. Needless to say, this took up a lot of his attention, and to him, this was all just a waste of time. As the investigations increased in number, so did coverage of Rockefeller; he was in newspapers and magazines everywhere. Ironically, these articles were usually read under oil lamps lit by kerosene that was provided by Standard Oil.