ROCKEFELLER...Ron Chernow, Titan biographer

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It's impossible to read the new biography of John D. Rockefeller Sr. without thinking of Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. Rockefeller amassed a staggering fortune as head of Standard Oil in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Extremely controversial, Rockefeller's company was the target of a bitter--and ultimately successful-- anti-trust lawsuit. Rockefeller gave his money away in record amounts, something Gates promises to do someday. But biographer Ron Chernow wasn't convinced he should write about Rockefeller. Chernow had written biographies of business tycoons like J.P. Morgan, but he told Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Farrell he didn't initially feel an affinity for his subject:

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Digitization made possible by the State of Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, approved by voters in 2008.

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