3 Who Is Andrew Carnegie?

Andrew Carnegie was born in 1835 in Scotland. He was from a poor family. When he was twelve, his family moved to the United States. They wanted a better life.

The Carnegie family lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Andrew started to work right away. He got a job in a factory. He was a good worker, but he didn't like the job.Later, he changed his job. He worked at the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Everybody there liked Andrew. He did many different jobs. His salary got higher every year.

In his free time, Andrew loved to read. He lived near Colonel James Anderson. Colonel Anderson was a rich man with many books. He let young boys use his library for free. In those days, the United States did not have free public libraries.Andrew read as much as possible.He read throughout his life.He always thought that reading was very important.

Andrew learned a lot at the railroad company. He realized that the railroad was very important for big countries. He had an idea to start a business with railroads. He saved all his money and opened a business. He was thirty years old.

First, his company made bridges for the railroads. Ten years later, they made steel. The Carnegie Steel Company became the largest company in the United States. They made steel for bridges, machines, and many other things. People called Carnegie the “Steel King”. Soon he was the richest man in the world.

Carnegie liked to make money. But he believed it was very important to help other people. In 1901, he sold his company for$480 million.He started to give away his money to make new libraries and colleges all over the United States. He built 2,811 libraries. Carnegie also gave a lot of money to people who worked for peace. In 1903, he gave $1.5 million to build a Peace Palace in the Netherlands.

Andrew Carnegie died in 1919. He was eighty-four years old. During his life, he gave away nearly all of his money. He gave away over $350 million for education and peace. There are colleges, libraries, hospitals, and parks named after Andrew Carnegie. He has helped millions of people all over the world to study and learn.