4 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
American banker, industrialist, art collector, and Treasury Secretary who expanded T. Mellon & Sons into one of America's greatest fortunes — financing the creation of Alcoa, Gulf Oil, and Koppers — and served as Treasury Secretary under three presidents while building the collection that became the National Gallery of Art.
American industrialist who built H.C. Frick Coke Company — supplying Carnegie Steel with coke — and who as Carnegie Steel's chairman ordered the Pinkerton guards during the 1892 Homestead Strike, being shot and stabbed by Alexander Berkman; and who collected Old Masters from Duveen to create the Frick Collection.
American oil magnate who was the world's richest private person in 1957 — known for legendary frugality (installing a payphone for guests) and obsessive art collecting — and who wrote How to Be Rich, which argued that wealth comes from being a better operator than competitors.
American retail entrepreneur who built the S.H. Kress chain of five-and-dime stores — which at its peak had 264 stores nationwide — and who used his fortune to amass a major collection of Italian Renaissance paintings, much of which he donated to American museums.