Andrew Carnegie Family Tree & History, Ancestry & Genealogy

The Gospel Of Wealth

Having famously said 'the man who dies rich, dies disgraced', Carnegie gave away the bulk of his fortune during his lifetime - an estimated $340m (about $4.6bn in today's money). He penned 'The Gospel of Wealth' which set out how he would donate his money, and on his death only a few personal assets, properties and a small trust was left to his wife and daughter. In fact, the Carnegies signed one of America’s first prenuptial agreements, which detailed the terms of the inheritance.

The gift that keeps on giving

Due to his philosophy of philanthropy, Carnegie funded 2,509 libraries worldwide, as well as founding the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University). Through the Carnegie Corporation, a philanthropic foundation, Carnegie's foresight has helped to fund myriad projects ranging from the discovery of insulin and the dismantling of nuclear weapons, to the creation of Pell Grants and Sesame Street.

The wealthiest man in the world

After selling his business interests for $480m in 1901, Carnegie set about distributing his fortune. Some of the trusts or institutions bearing his name include: Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, Carnegie Institution for Science, Carnegie Foundation (supporting the Peace Palace), Carnegie Dunfermline Trust, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and the Carnegie UK Trust.

A history of change

Both Carnegie's father and father-in-law were reformers, joining the chartist movement who felt that conditions for workers would improve if the masses were to take over the government from the landed gentry. When this movement failed, the Carnegies emigrated to America.

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