What oil companies do the Rockefellers own?

John D. Rockefeller owned the Standard Oil Company, which he founded in 1870 and grew into a massive industrial empire, controlling nearly all U.S. oil production, refining, and marketing, famously becoming the target of anti-trust action that led to its 1911 breakup into numerous smaller companies like Exxon and Mobil.

Who owned 90% of all oil refineries in the US?

In 1882, Standard Oil Trust created a network of Standard Oil companies throughout the country, led by a board of trustees, where Rockefeller owned over one third of the certificates. By the late 1880s, Standard Oil controlled 90% of American refineries.

Who are the 7 sisters of petroleum?

The "Seven Sisters" petroleum refers to the seven major international oil companies that dominated the global industry from the 1920s to the 1970s, including Anglo-Persian (BP), Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon (Standard Oil of New Jersey), Mobil (Socony), Socal (Chevron), Texaco, and Gulf Oil. These companies held immense power, controlling most of the world's oil, but faced challenges from OPEC and nationalizations, leading to their gradual decline and mergers (e.g., Chevron buying Gulf, Exxon and Mobil merging). The term is also used in the Mad Max films for the fictional, post-apocalyptic oil supplier, inspired by the real-life companies.
 

Are the Rockefellers still in the oil business?

No, the Rockefeller family's philanthropic organizations, like the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) and Rockefeller Family Fund (RFF), have largely divested from fossil fuels, actively moving away from oil and gas investments to focus on renewable energy and climate solutions, despite their historic wealth originating from John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil. While some family trusts still hold diverse assets, the prominent funds are now champions of climate action, symbolically rejecting their oil legacy.
 

Who is the largest descendant of Standard Oil?

Standard Oil's largest direct descendants which today are still their own independent companies are ExxonMobil, a merger of the Standard Oil Companies of New Jersey and New York, and Chevron, a rebranding of the Standard Oil Company of California since its own acquisition of Gulf Oil.

How Rockefeller Built His Trillion Dollar Oil Empire

Who is the richest oil family in the world?

The title of the "richest oil family" is complex, but the Al Nahyan family of Abu Dhabi is often cited as the wealthiest, controlling significant oil reserves, while the Koch family (US) and the House of Saud (Saudi Arabia) are also prominent, with the Saud family's wealth directly tied to state oil resources, and the Kochs owning vast energy infrastructure like refineries and pipelines, not just extraction.
 

How much of America's oil did Rockefeller control?

John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil controlled a staggering amount of the U.S. oil industry, reaching nearly 90% of oil refining by the 1880s and over 90% of production by 1900, dominating the market through aggressive tactics, acquisitions, and control of pipelines and railroads, leading to its eventual breakup by the Supreme Court in 1911. 

Who is richer, Vanderbilt or Rockefeller?

The core difference between the Vanderbilt and Rockefeller wealth stories is preservation vs. dissipation: Rockefellers built lasting, multi-generational wealth through shrewd trusts, family offices, and controlled distribution, while Vanderbilts, despite immense initial fortunes in railroads, squandered theirs rapidly due to extravagant spending, lack of a cohesive plan, and direct cash handouts, illustrating contrasting approaches to estate management. John D. Rockefeller's fortune grew into billions over generations, while the Vanderbilt fortune largely vanished within a century, with descendants becoming ordinary millionaires or less.
 

Who controlled 90% of the oil industry?

Rockefeller, founder and largest shareholder of the Standard Oil Company, controlled more than 90 percent of U.S. oil production, dominating the world market.

Is Bill Gates a descendant of the Rockefellers?

Yes, Bill Gates is distantly related to the Rockefeller family; he is a distant cousin (7th cousin, 3 times removed) of Nelson Rockefeller, whose grandfather was oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, though Bill Gates has downplayed any direct connection or similarities to the original Rockefeller family's business or philanthropy. 

What is the richest oil company in the world?

The richest and largest oil company in the world by market capitalization is Saudi Aramco, the state-owned giant from Saudi Arabia, far surpassing competitors with valuations often over $1.5 trillion, making it the most valuable energy company globally and the world's biggest producer. U.S. giant ExxonMobil is its closest competitor, followed by American Chevron and Chinese PetroChina, but Aramco holds a commanding lead in market value and production volume.
 

Who are the big 5 in oil?

The "Big 5" oil companies generally refer to the major Western integrated energy giants: ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP, and TotalEnergies, often contrasted with state-owned giants like Saudi Aramco, but these five are consistently listed as key "Supermajors" in market caps and operations, dominating global upstream (exploration/production) and downstream (refining/marketing) activities. 

Who is bigger, Shell or Exxon?

ExxonMobil regularly reports the highest revenue of any Big Oil company. In its 2024 fiscal year, it generated roughly 350 billion U.S. dollars, which was around 70 billion more than its closest competitor Shell.

Who was richer, Rockefeller or Carnegie?

While both were titans of industry, John D. Rockefeller is generally considered richer, often cited as the wealthiest American ever, peaking with a fortune equivalent to a significant chunk of U.S. GDP, while Andrew Carnegie, though incredibly wealthy (potentially even richer by some GDP metrics), focused on giving away most of his fortune (around 90%) after selling U.S. Steel, making Rockefeller's peak wealth larger in absolute and comparative terms.
 

Who was the biggest oil tycoon in history?

Rockefeller is widely considered the wealthiest American in history, the country's first billionaire. His fortune primarily came from his firm, Standard Oil Company, which grew to dominate the oil industry and become the first great American business trust.

Why can't the US refine its own oil?

The U.S. can't fully refine all its own oil because its refineries were built for heavy, sour crude (like from Mexico/Venezuela), while U.S. shale production yields light, sweet oil that needs different processing, creating a mismatch; it's often more profitable to export the light oil and import heavier crude that fits existing infrastructure, though costly retrofitting or new refinery construction for light oil is an option. 

Who controls all the oil in the world?

OPEC member countries collectively hold almost all of the world's spare oil production capacity. Saudi Arabia, the largest oil producer within OPEC and the world's largest oil exporter, historically has had the greatest spare capacity.

Who did Rockefeller buy out?

Rockefeller joined Maurice B. Clark and Samuel Andrews in a Cleveland, Ohio, oil-refining business. Rockefeller bought out Clark in 1865, and Henry M. Flagler became a partner in the venture in 1867.

Are there any Rockefellers left?

Yes, there are many Rockefellers left, with hundreds of descendants of John D. Rockefeller still alive today, though the vast fortune is now spread among many generations, and the prominent figures like David Rockefeller Jr. continue the family's legacy in finance and philanthropy, but the original wealth is diluted. The last of the five brothers (grandsons of the founder), David Rockefeller, passed away in 2017, but his descendants and the broader family maintain influence through foundations and various careers.
 

Who will be the 1st trillionaire?

While no one is a trillionaire yet, Elon Musk is widely projected to be the first, potentially by 2027, driven by his stakes in Tesla, SpaceX, and X, with some forecasts suggesting SpaceX's potential IPO could significantly accelerate this. Jeff Bezos and Jensen Huang (Nvidia) are also in contention, but Musk's diverse and rapidly growing ventures place him at the forefront, with a major Tesla pay package potentially adding to his net worth, notes PBS News and Yahoo Finance.
 

Who is richer, Elon Musk or John D. Rockefeller?

Yes, recent estimates show Elon Musk's wealth has surpassed John D. Rockefeller's, with Musk's net worth representing a larger percentage of the U.S. GDP (around 1.6%) compared to Rockefeller's peak (about 1.5%), making him arguably the wealthiest person relative to the economy in history, despite adjustments for inflation placing Rockefeller's peak fortune in the hundreds of billions today.
 

Who is the #1 richest family in the world?

The Walton family, founders of Walmart, are consistently ranked as the world's richest family, with their fortune estimated at over $500 billion in late 2025 by Bloomberg and CultureMap Fort Worth. Their wealth stems from their significant ownership in Walmart, the world's largest retailer by revenue, with family members like Jim, Rob, and Alice Walton holding substantial stakes.
 

What are the seven sisters oil companies?

The "Seven Sisters" were a group of seven major international oil companies that dominated the global petroleum industry from the 1920s to the 1970s, including Exxon, Mobil, Chevron, Texaco, BP, Royal Dutch Shell, and Gulf Oil, formed from the breakup of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil and other entities, controlling most world oil reserves and production before the rise of OPEC. These companies effectively ran the global oil market through cartels and agreements, but their power waned as producing nations gained control, leading to nationalization and mergers that shaped today's supermajors.
 

What is the oldest engine oil company?

The oldest engine oil company is Valvoline, founded in 1866 by Dr. John Ellis, who developed the first petroleum-based motor oil and created the first trademarked lubricant brand in the U.S. in 1873, though Schaeffer Manufacturing claims to be the oldest lubricant manufacturer (since 1832) making various oils, Valvoline holds the title for branded, petroleum-based engine oil specifically. 

How much would Rockefeller be worth today?

John D. Rockefeller's fortune, estimated at $1.4 billion in 1937 (around 1.5% of U.S. GDP), would equate to hundreds of billions, possibly over $400 billion, in today's money, depending on the inflation or GDP-based calculation used, making him arguably the richest person in American history, even surpassing modern figures like Bill Gates when adjusted for economic scale.