John Dustin Archbold (July 26, 1848 – December 6, 1916) was an American businessman and one of the United States' earliest oil refiners. His small oil company was bought out by

John D. Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American business magnate and philanthropist. He has been widely considered the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history. Rockefeller was ...

's Standard Oil Company. Archbold rose rapidly at Standard Oil, handling many of the complex secret negotiations over the years. By 1882, he was Rockefeller's closest associate, and typically acted as the company's primary spokesman. Rockefeller, after 1896, left business matters to Archbold while he pursued his philanthropy; as vice president, Archbold effectively ran Standard Oil until his death in 1916. Inspired by Rockefeller's policies, Archbold's main goals were stabilization, efficiency, and minimizing waste in refining and distributing petroleum products. When the company was broken up by the Supreme Court in 1911 into 34 smaller operations, Archbold became president of the largest one,

Standard Oil of New Jersey ExxonMobil, an American multinational oil and gas corporation presently based out of Texas, has had one of the longest histories of any company in its industry. A direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, the company traces its roo ...

Personal life

Archbold was born to

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

minister Reverend Israel Archbold and Frances Foster Dana (Archbold) in

Leesburg, Ohio Leesburg is a village in Highland County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,314 at the 2010 census. History Leesburg was laid out in 1802, and named after Leesburg, Virginia. Geography Leesburg is located at (39.346333, -83.553045). ...

. After being educated in public schools, he moved to

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

by 1864.The Archbold Collection
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Accessed: March 9, 2014. On February 20, 1870, Archbold married Annie Eliza Mills, "daughter of Samuel Myers Mills of Titusville and Lavinia Jenkins." The couple had four children: * Mary Lavina Archbold (b 1871) * Anne Mills Archbold (b 1873), mother of John Dana ArchboldJohn D. Archbold Papers
Clemson University. Accessed: March 9, 2014. * Frances Dana Archbold (b 1875) * John Foster Archbold (b 1877–1930), father of zoologist

Richard Archbold Richard Archbold (April 9, 1907 – August 1, 1976) was an American zoologist and philanthropist. He was independently wealthy, being the grandson of the capitalist John Dustin Archbold. He was educated at private schools, and later attended cla ...

In 1885, Archbold purchased a large mansion in

Tarrytown, New York Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North ...

. The estate, called ''Cedar Cliff'', was located at 279 S. Broadway just across from the

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

Transfiguration Church.Steiner, Henry,
The Other Oil Tycoon
', River Journal Online, retrieved 20 July 2011: Cedar Cliff was demolished in 1980, and is now a condominium development known as ''The Quay''; the old stone pillars marking the entrance to the estate are still visible.

Professional life

Standard Oil Company

In 1864, Archbold went to the north-west

oil fields and spent 11 years in the oil industry there. When

's Standard Oil Company began buying up refiners in this oil-rich region, many independent refiners felt squeezed out, and Archbold was among Standard's harshest and loudest critics. In 1885, after becoming skeptical of reports of oil discoveries in

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

, he sold-out at a loss, saying "I'll drink every gallon produced west of the Mississippi!" Archbold was subsequently recruited by Rockefeller to Standard Oil, where he became a director and served as its vice-president and president until its dissolution in 1911. Between 1911 and 1916, Archbold was president of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey. Archbold once made a $250,000 donation to the

National Kindergarten Association The National Kindergarten Association (NKA) was a philanthropic organization, based in the United States, which promoted universal acceptance of the public-school kindergarten. It existed between 1909 and 1976, and its headquarters was in New ...

,"Miss Bessie Locke of Kindergartens"
- ''New York Times'', April 11, 1952 to whose board of directors his wife was elected in 1911.

The Hepburn Committee

A. Barton Hepburn Alonzo Barton Hepburn (July 24, 1846 – January 25, 1922) was an American politician from New York, famed for being the Chairman of the New York State Legislature's eponymous Hepburn Committee of 1879 that investigated the operations of what b ...

was directed by the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official ...

in 1879 to investigate the railroads' practice of giving rebates within the state. Merchants without ties to the oil industry had pressed for the hearings. Prior to the committee's investigation, few knew of the size of

Standard Oil Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...

's control and influence on seemingly unaffiliated oil refineries and pipelines - Hawke (1980) cites that only a dozen or so within Standard Oil knew the extent of company operations. The committee counsel,

Simon Sterne Simon Sterne (born June 23 1839, Philadelphia – died September 22 1901, New York City) was an American lawyer and economist. Biography He studied at the University of Heidelberg, and then graduated from the law department of the University of ...

, questioned representatives from the

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Er ...

and the

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Mid ...

and discovered that at least half of their long-haul traffic granted rebates, and that much of this traffic came from Standard Oil. The committee then shifted focus to Standard Oil's operations. John Dustin Archbold, as president of Acme Oil Company, denied that Acme was associated with Standard Oil. He then admitted to being a director of Standard Oil. The committee's final report scolded the railroads for their rebate policies and cited Standard Oil as an example. This scolding was largely moot to Standard Oil's interests since long-distance oil pipelines were now their preferred method of transportation. Syracuse-university Archbold

Syracuse University

In 1886, Archbold became a member of the board of trustees of

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

, and was the board's president from 1893 until his death in 1916. From 1893 to 1914, he contributed nearly $6,000,000 for eight buildings, including the full cost of

Archbold Stadium Archbold Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Syracuse, New York. It opened in 1907 and was home to the Syracuse Orangemen football team prior to the opening of the Carrier Dome in 1980. History After organizing athletics events at various ...

(opened 1907, demolished 1978; the Carrier Dome was built on this site), Sims Hall (men's dormitory, 1907),

Archbold Gymnasium Archbold Gymnasium is a gymnasium located on the campus of Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. History It was built in 1908 with money donated by John Dustin Archbold, a major benefactor of the university, who also funded the building o ...

(1908, nearly destroyed by fire in 1947, but still in use), and the oval athletic field. Hey-John-Give-Us-a-Tow

Theodore Roosevelt scandal

Archbold was involved in a scandalous affair involving monetary gifts to the Republican Party. In 1912, he was called to testify before a committee which was investigating political contributions made by the Standard Oil Company to the campaign funds of political parties. He claimed that President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

was aware of the $125,000 contribution made by Standard Oil Company to the 1904 campaign fund of the Republican Party, but Roosevelt produced letters written by him which directed his campaign managers to return such monetary contributions if they were offered.

Assassination attempt

In 1915, an attempt was made by

anarchists Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessari ...

and

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines genera ...

radicals to assassinate Archbold at ''Cedar Cliff'' by planting a large dynamite bomb at the entrance to the estate.Steiner, Henry, ''The Other Oil Tycoon'', River Journal Online, retrieved 20 July 2011 The bomb, which failed to go off, was discovered by Archbold's gardener. Police suspected that the attempted bombing was precipitated by the execution by firing squad of 'Joe Hill', alias Joseph Hillstrom in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, the day before. Hill was an IWW member, songwriter and labor organizer who had been convicted of murder. John Dustin Archbold Gravesite

Death

Archbold died of complications from

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...

, on December 6, 1916, aged 68. He is buried in

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York, is the final resting place of numerous famous figures, including Washington Irving, whose 1820 short story " The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is set in the adjacent burying ground at the Old Dutch ...

in Sleepy Hollow, New York.

Legacy

* In 1914, the "John Dustin Archbold College of Liberal Arts" at Syracuse University was renamed in his honor. The entrance to the university's

Hall of Languages The Hall of Languages is a Syracuse University building designed by Horatio Nelson White in the Second Empire architectural style, and built in 1871–73. It was the first building constructed on the Syracuse University campus and the building ori ...

remains inscribed with this name. * The John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital, now the Archbold Medical Center, in Thomasville, Georgia, was established in 1925, through a donation by his son, John Foster Archbold. * His grandson, John Dana Archbold, was a member of the Board of Trustees of Syracuse University from 1976 to 1993. * The John Dana Archbold Theatre at Syracuse Stage (Central New York's only professional theater) is named after his grandson. *Another heir, grandson

, established

Archbold Biological Station The Archbold Biological Station (ABS) is a research institute with a surrounding estate near Lake Placid, Florida, USA. It includes an extensive area of Florida scrub, a scientifically interesting and highly threatened ecosystem. It was establ ...

in 1941 on

Lake Placid, Florida Lake Placid is a town in Highlands County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 2,223 and in 2018 the estimated population was 2,439. It is part of the Sebring Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town has two nickname ...

, land donated by

John A. Roebling II John Augustus Roebling II (November 21, 1867 – February 2, 1952) was an American civil engineer and philanthropist. Following his father's death, he became the largest individual shareholder in the family business, John A. Roebling's Sons. ...

. * Namesake of the tanker vessel John Dustin Archbold (1914). *His grandson, John Dana Archbold (Choate '29), is the namesake of Archbold House, a dormitory and the admissions building of

Choate Rosemary Hall Choate Rosemary Hall (often known as Choate; ) is a private, co-educational, college-preparatory boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, United States. Choate is currently ranked as the second best boarding school and third best private high ...

. It also houses the Head of School and Associate Head of School's offices. The building was built in 1928 using funds donated by J. Dustin's daughter and J. Dana's mother Anne Saunders Archbold, and it originally served as an infirmary.

References

Notes

External links

"Archbold, John Dustin,"
''Cyclopaedia of American Biography'', 1918, pp. 20–22

''Syracuse University Magazine'' 30(3)

Venus, Florida Venus is an unincorporated community in southeastern Highlands County, Florida, United States. Geography Lake Placid is the nearest town to the north. Palmdale, another unincorporated community, is to the south. Hunting and fishing are popular ...

Archbold Mausoleum
Mausoleums.com

Syracuse University
''The New York Times'' (1916, December 6). "J.D. Archbold Dies; Mourned by Many."

''River Journal'', Tarrytown, New York {{DEFAULTSORT:Archbold, John Dustin Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt Standard Oil 1848 births 1916 deaths American businesspeople in the oil industry Philanthropists from New York (state) Syracuse University trustees People from Highland County, Ohio People from Tarrytown, New York Burials at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery New York (state) Republicans 19th-century American businesspeople