Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist turned philanthropist. He was one of the world's greatest advocates for public libraries. His advocacy did not end with his words, but a large portion of his fortune was spent on funding libraries all around the world. Without his generous donations the public libraries in America would not have been so widespread. He funded over 2,500 libraries spanning a period of almost 50 years. In America alone he funded 1,689 libraries. One of the reasons he was a strong supporter of libraries stemmed from his belief in self-improvement; he was a self-made man himself. This quote from Carnegie expresses his opinion well:

I choose free libraries as the best agencies for improving the masses of the people, because they give nothing for nothing. They only help those who help themselves. They never pauperize. They reach the aspiring and open to these treasures of the world--those stored up in books. A taste for reading drives out lower tastes.

His words echo the beliefs of that time period, including the woman's group that founded the San Mateo Public Library when they planned out their reading room in 1883.

In 1920 there were 142 Carnegie funded libraries in California. He might have been a somewhat controversial businessman, but he was generous with the profits he made. As a philanthropist he certainly deserves accolades. A final quote from Carnegie is evidence of this:

Surplus wealth is a sacred trust which its possessor is bound to administer in his lifetime for the good of the community.

He had risen up from humble origins in Scotland, where he was born in 1835. After immigrating to the U.S. he worked his way up with the help of a mentor. Thomas Scott was this mentor and an executive with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. His advise allowed Carnegie to eventually become owner of Carnegie Steel (late to become U.S. Steel). In today's dollars his total worth would be almost $300 billion. He died in 1919, but his legacy continues to benefit many, many people.