Andrew Carnegie

Table of Contents

Introduction & Top Questions References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Learn about Andrew Carnegie's and his philanthropic works

Booker T. Washington, Andrew Carnegie, and others

Cartoon depiction of Andrew Carnegie, 1903.

Learn about the discovery of dinosaur “Sue” and the competition between collectors

For Students

Andrew Carnegie summary

Andrew Carnegie

Q: When was Andrew Carnegie born?

Andrew Carnegie was born on November 25, 1835, in Dunfermline , Fife , Scotland .

Q: When did Andrew Carnegie die?

Andrew Carnegie died on August 11, 1919, in Lenox , Massachusetts .

Q: Where did Andrew Carnegie go to school?

Andrew Carnegie lacked a lengthy formal education . Upon his arrival in the United States in 1848, Carnegie became enthusiastically Americanized, educating himself by reading and writing and attending night school in Allegheny , Pennsylvania .

Q: What was Andrew Carnegie best known for?

Andrew Carnegie was an industrialist best known for leading the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century. He was also one of the most important philanthropists of his era, establishing several trusts , including the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and the Carnegie Institution of Washington.

American industrialist and philanthropist

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Feb 20, 2024 • Article History

Andrew Carnegie

See all media

Category: History & Society

Born:: November 25, 1835, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

Died:: August 11, 1919, Lenox, Massachusetts, U.S. (aged 83)

Founder:: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

Role In:: Homestead Strike

See all related content →

When was Andrew Carnegie born?

When did Andrew Carnegie die?

Where did Andrew Carnegie go to school?

What was Andrew Carnegie best known for?

Andrew Carnegie (born November 25, 1835, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland—died August 11, 1919, Lenox, Massachusetts, U.S.) was a Scottish-born American industrialist who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century. He was also one of the most important philanthropists of his era. Carnegie’s father, William Carnegie, a handloom weaver, was a Chartist and marcher for workingman’s causes; his maternal grandfather, Thomas Morrision, also an agitator, had been a friend of William Cobbett. During the young Carnegie’s childhood the arrival of the power loom in Dunfermline and a general economic downturn impoverished his father, inducing the ...(100 of 1029 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.