John D. Rockefeller's oil refining company — which grew to control 90% of US oil refining by 1882 — through horizontal integration, ruthless cost reduction, and the systematic acquisition or destruction of competitors, making it the greatest monopoly in American history before its 1911 dissolution.
Demonstrated that systematic cost reduction, vertical integration, and network effects (controlling pipelines and railroads) could create an unassailable market position — and its 1911 Supreme Court dissolution created Exxon, Mobil, Chevron, and Amoco, making Rockefeller richer after the breakup than before.
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