The Industrialists

The real heroes we need to recognize are the inventers and industrialists who created machines that allowed us to begin and complete the expansion of the US and the industrial revolution.

The forerunners of these inventors began collaborating with their peers in the 1500s. The early industrialists included those who identified the commercial possibilities of these inventions.  

JP Morgan was the investment banker who funded the development of the US railroads to expand to the West Coast and then consolidated a dozen railroads so they could pay off their loans.

John D Rockefeller (1839-1937) was the industrialist who developed oil for use in oil lamps.  When Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla developed the light bulb and electric power, Rockefeller had to scramble to find another use for oil and he developed gasoline for automobiles. 

Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was the industrialist who consolidated the steel companies to provide steel for railroads, bridges and buildings. He was born in Scotland and immigrated to the US in 1848.

Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794–1877) was an American business magnate and philanthropist who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. The Vanderbilt family immigrated

from the Netherlands to the US in 1650.

Thomas Mellon (1813-1908) founded Mellon Bank and funded the expansion of industrial manufacturing. He was born on the family farm in Ireland and immigrated to the US in 1816. He became a lawyer, judge and banker.

John Jacob Astor 1964-1912) (real estate, fur) – New York.

German–American businessman, merchant, real estate mogul and investor who mainly made his fortune in fur trade and by investing in real estate in or around New York City. Born in Germany, Astor immigrated to England as a teenager.

Charles Crocker (1822-1888) (railroads) – California. American railroad executive who founded the Central Pacific Railroad, which constructed the westernmost portion of the first transcontinental railroad, and took control with partners of the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Henry Ford (1863-1947) American founder of the Ford Motor Company, and the sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. He grew up on the family farm in Michigan. His father immigrated from Ireland.

The Inventors

Thomas Edison (1847-1931) acquired a record number of 1,093 patents (singly or jointly) and was the driving force behind such innovations as the phonograph, the incandescent light bulb and one of the earliest motion picture cameras. He also created the world's first industrial research laboratory.

Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) Serbian-American engineer and physicist made dozens of breakthroughs in the production, transmission and application of electric power. He invented the first alternating current (AC) motor and developed AC generation and transmission technology. 

Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) founder of AT&T. Born in Scotland and immigrated to the US. Inventor of the acoustic telephone in 1875. 

Albert Einstein (1897-1955) German born scientist who immigrated to the US. He was the physicist who asked all the right questions about energy and matter and got the right answers.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader