Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie was born into a poor working class family living in the town of Dunfermline, Scotland, in 1835. His father operated a small hand looming business located in the family home. The Carnegies was literate, well read, and active in the politics of the day. It was a time of repression of the Scottish worker by the Government, the employers, and the culture. Rebellious in thought as well as actively participating in protests was part of the Carnegie family life style. He was exposed to all of Scotland's dramatic portrayal of Scottish Heroes. He learned the poetry and songs that were filled with the heroics of the underdog and their fight for equality.

Andrew Carnegie's mother was the strong parent in the family. She protected her two sons from associating with any corrupting values. Andrew said, "Yes, mother would have taken her two boys, one under each arm, and perished with them then they should mingle with low company in their extreme youth. There was not a prouder family in the land. Anything low, mean, deceitful, shifty, course, underhand, or gossipy was foreign to the heroic soul [mother]". Andrew idealized his mother, his country and its heritage, and the struggle for fair treatment of the worker. The Carnegie family left Scotland when Andrew was 13, and came to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the urging of his two aunts. His mother was the behind the move and she continued to be a motivator, supporter, and controller of Andrew and his personal interests for the rest of her life.

Carnegie arrived in America in 1848, and found the state of official social equality he had been searching for. Although the worker had not gained equality in living and working conditions, at least the laws of this government promoted its attainment. He had been filled with the idealism of a radical reformer in Scotland, but in America he quickly became involved with his own climb to success. His greatest characteristic was his ability to take advantage of any opportunity that was offered to him. His first opportunity to advance was his promotion from a factory bobbin boy to writing entries into his employer's accounts. At 15, he grabbed at the chance to leave the factory for a job as a telegraph messenger. Andrew made it his concern to learn the name of every business owner in the city. Recognizing these men on the street shortened his message delivery time and gave them the favorable impression he was seeking.

During these early teen years, Carnegie attended night school and frequented the theater. He had been offered free tickets which enabled him to become acquainted with Shakespeare's plays. While other young men lives were filled with work, pleasure, and home, Andrew's life was filled with work, school, drama, and reading. He took advantage of the chance to study in a private library and then he encouraged other young men to join him. He said, "I knew nothing of the base and vile. I had always been brought in contact with good people. This was the world in which I dwelt with my companions, all of them refined young men, striving to improve themselves and become respected citizens" (Carnegie 65). "I went to school at night and read history and classics on weekends. Every step of the way--factory drudge, office boy, messenger, I pushed myself hard, mastered my duties, maximized opportunities, and waited with self-assurance the arrival of the next chance".

There are many theories on why this Scottish immigrant succeeded in the "land of opportunity". It couldn't be based solely on the fact he spoke English and was literate. He was one of among thousands of other Scottish immigrants who came to this country searching for economic opportunity. Louis Hacker expounds on one theory on what drove him,

Because of his father's failure, because of his deep devotion to a mother . . . perhaps more because of the unequal society from which he had come and which had squandered talent so stupidly, Carnegie had a fierce desire to succeed. He had to sharpen his wits, he had to engage in self-improvement; he had to seize the main chance whenever it presented itself. How else was one like himself to emerge out of obscurity and poverty (Livesay 60).

The messenger boy soon became the telegrapher. Given the opportunity to learn this trade, rather than hand copying messages, he advanced himself by memorizing the Morse code. His reliability and capabilities were exhibited in the absence of his supervisor when he first managed a train wreck. Carnegie's skills in organization and management set him apart from others. In 1856, at the young age of 21, Carnegie became a supervisor for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Livesay believes that this experience in this newly developing transportation industry gave Carnegie the experience needed to develop his own expertise in the manufacturing of steel. "On the railroad he assimilated the managerial skills, grasped the economic principles and cemented the personal relationships that enabled him to become successively manager, capitalist, and entrepreneur" (29).

Carnegie's ability to take advantage of every opportunity and to understand the potential for an investment was his formula for success. Carnegie advanced through various business fields of manufacturing to finally becoming the founder of the largest producing steel plant in the world. He had many different business theories but the most important was to cut costs above all else. He understood that manufacturing in volume was one way to cut costs, and if he cut costs he could "cut the prices; scoop the market; run the mills full. . . and the profits would take care of themselves (Livesay 101). He always remained in complete control of his company; it was never put on the stock exchange where he would then be forced to listen to a board of directors. His policy was to reward upcoming young ambitious men with a partnership. In that way he pitted his employees against each other as they competed to make their particular division more productive. The more efficient the production the higher the percentage of the profits went to these junior partners. Carnegie stated that above all else his firm produced quality materials. He even put quality above costs and from this tough adherence to high standards his company grew in reputation (Carnegie 122-3).

Although Carnegie did not understand all the aspects of the technical means of manufacturing steel, he did understand men. He understood that if he recruited the best men for a particular job, made them partners in the company, then the company would thrive and be profitable (Carnegie 24). Baker attributes the growth of the steel business to Carnegie's ability to recruit

. . . ." 'a brilliant assemblage of personal talent' . . . and to Carnegie himself