“I wish everybody could grow up to be rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of, so they can see that that’s not the answer.”    Jim Carrey

1913 – Cleveland, Ohio: A couple of his senior managers noticed it first. John D. wouldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, and nothing seemed to matter to him anymore. He had not only lost his appetite, but his enthusiasm for his oil company. He rarely smiled and seemed depressed. They shook their heads. It puzzled and concerned them. They couldn’t understand why the richest man in the world wasn’t happy.

John Davison Rockefeller came from humble beginnings. He was born in a small two-room log cabin in Richford, New York, in 1839. His father, William “Devil Bill” Rockefeller, later moved the family to Cleveland, Ohio, to avoid a rape scandal.

Devil Bill was a con artist and traveling snake-oil salesman who moved from town to town peddling miracle botanical cures for cancer and other ailments. He had a mistress in every town. Bill once bragged to neighbors, “I do business deals with my three sons, and I always try to cheat them to keep them sharp.” John D.’s upbringing prepared him later for cunning business deals.

To help pay the bills, and after going door-to-door for two months, on September 26, 1855, 16-year-old John D. landed his first job as a bookkeeper with Hewitt Tuttle, a produce brokerage. For the rest of his life, he celebrated “job day” on September 26, the day he found his first job.

He was a skilled bookkeeper and businessman. Tuttle moved all kinds of goods, including fish, corn, dry goods, fruits, and vegetables. At 18, John D. got into an argument with his boss and quit. He used his savings to start a brokerage company, and it took off immediately.

Ohio was at the center of the fledgling oil business and the black gold craze. Seeing an opportunity, 24-year-old John D. and a partner built their first oil refinery in 1865. The venture was called Standard Oil. Over the next five years, they bought two dozen refineries. John D. crushed his competition, earning a reputation as a ruthless businessman. By 1882, Standard Oil controlled more than 90% of America’s refineries and 30% of the oil wells.

At 50, John D. was the richest man in America with an estimated worth of $1.6 billion. But his success had come with a price. His business practices and great wealth outraged the nation. Major newspapers referred to him as “a stingy monster” and the “most hated man in America.”

John D. became ill. His body was racked with constant pain and digestive problems. He lost his hair, lost weight, and couldn’t sleep. His personal physician predicted he would die within a year. Despite his success, his wealth, and his power, John D. Rockefeller knew he was missing something. He controlled the oil business but had lost control of his own life.

One night while waiting to fall asleep, the devout Baptist asked God for answers. He felt God told him, “All the money in the world will do you no good in heaven or hell. Your responsibility is to give it away to bless others.”

The following day, John D. met with his lawyers, accountants, and executive staff. To their shock, he charged them with creating a foundation to distribute his vast fortune. He planned to direct his assets toward hospitals, medical research, education, and other charitable causes.

Established in 1913, the Rockefeller Foundation helped transform America, creating many of the institutions that defined the United States in the 20th century: the United Nations, the University of Chicago, Spelman College, Acadia National Park, Grand Teton National Park, the United Negro College Fund, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, the Rockefeller Center, and Colonial Williamsburg. His philanthropic efforts eventually contributed to the discovery of penicillin and cures for malaria, tuberculosis, and diphtheria, saving millions of lives.

As John D. began giving away his wealth to help others, his life was transformed. His digestive problems cleared up, and his pain subsided. His overall health and energy slowly returned. He was a man on a mission with a noble purpose. Though he had faithfully given a tenth of his income to his church since his youth, he had never experienced the joy of giving like this.

The richest man in the world and America’s first billionaire gave away untold millions during his lifetime. He lived a happy, productive life for three decades beyond his predicted death. In 1937, John D. Rockefeller died at his Florida home at age 98. Of his experience, he noted in his diary, “God taught me that everything belongs to Him. I am merely a conduit to carry out His will. Since then, my life has been one long, happy holiday.”