"A Visit To Mr. John D. Rockefeller By Neighbors and Friends at Forest Hill Cleveland Ohio" Signed Limited #275/425

Personally Hand Signed by John D. Rockefeller on the frontispiece below his photo portrait. Vinson and Korner. Cleveland, OH. September 26, 1905. 70 pages. Limited Edition, First Edition "A VISIT TO MR. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER BY NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS AT FOREST HILL PARK, CLEVELAND, OHIO. SEPTEMBER TWENTY-SIXTH, NINETEEN HUNDRED AND FIVE." An original copy, one of only 425 SIGNED by Rockefeller, this being No. 275 presented to Mr. S.L. Pierce. This hardcover volume is bound in charcoal boards with a tan leather spine and gilt lettering. It consists of 36 sheets printed only on the recto and a portrait of Rockefeller neatly SIGNED by him beneath the image in blue pencil. Small quarto edition measuring 7-1/2" x 10". This souvenir book commemorates the day Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil, was visited by 300 Cleveland businessmen outside his home. Included are 38 pages of the speeches delivered that day, including speeches by Liberty E. Holden and Andrew Squire, and the speech given by Rockefeller in response. As this being the only book he ever signed, books signed by Rockefeller are extremely rare. Condition: Very Good+ with light toning throughout, mirroring of portrait on protective tissue paper. Some light wear to covers, and leather spine. A tight spine without any separation. No other marks, writing, or stamps inside or out. All photos of the actual item. About John D. Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller (July 8, 1839 � May 23, 1937) was an American industrialist and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy. In 1870, he founded the Standard Oil Company and aggressively ran it until he officially retired in 1897. Standard Oil began as an Ohio partnership formed by John D. Rockefeller, his brother William Rockefeller, Henry Flagler, Jabez Bostwick, chemist Samuel Andrews, and a silent partner, Stephen V. Harkness. As kerosene and gasoline grew in importance, Rockefeller's wealth soared, and he became the world's richest man and the first American worth more than a billion dollars. Adjusting for inflation, he is often regarded as the richest person in history. When he died, his fortune approximated 1/65th of the Gross National Product. In today's dollars, his personal fortune would be worth about $190 billion compared to that of, say, Bill Gates's $60 billion or so. At times his wealth actually exceeded the annual federal budget.