Price Carnegie Library, Price, Utah. circa 1910s (demolished 1957).
The text below is from a plaque on the wall at the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum.
Andrew Carnegie
“He who dies rich dies disgraced”
Today, the name Andrew Carnegie is synonymous with both American industry and philanthropy. Carnegie was born in 1835 in Dunfermline Scotland, the son of humble textile workers. At age 12 he moved with his family to Pennsylvania. He was a hard worker and avid reader. At 13 he began working at a cotton mill and, through ambition and ingenuity, worked his way up. By age 24, he was Superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Here he gathered connections and business interests, and made key investments, including funding the development of a new, faster, steel manufacturing process that would supply the growing nation. In 1901, the Carnegie Steel Company sold for $492 million dollars (roughly $17.5 billion today).
One of the richest men of his age, Carnegie believed the wealthy should use their riches to promote the welfare and happiness of others. By the end of his life, he had given away 90% of his vast fortune. His efforts included building over 2,500 public libraries (23 in Utah) and establishing and supporting
educational institutions. He was also a pacifist and dedicated activist for world peace. He believed conflicts could be resolved through arbitration and cooperation and dedicated his later life to hasten[ing] the abolition of international war.”
It was this spirit of cooperation that led Carnegie to make a promise to the King of England in 1902 which would propel a 150-million-year-old dinosaur into international celebrity.
