Carnegie Brothers and Company facts for kids
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| Partnership | |
| Industry | Steel, Coke, Railroad |
| Successor | Carnegie Steel |
| Founded | 1 April 1881 |
| Founder | Andrew Carnegie |
| Defunct | 1 July 1892 |
| Headquarters | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States |
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Key people
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Thomas and Andrew Carnegie; Henry Clay Frick |
| Products | steel, coal, coke, railroad Flat-rolled steel Tubular steel |
| Services | manufacturing |
Carnegie Brothers & Company, Ltd. was a very important steel company in the late 1800s. It was created by Andrew Carnegie, a famous businessman. He brought together his different steel and fuel businesses to form this one big company in the early 1880s.
How the Company Started
Andrew Carnegie combined several of his businesses to create Carnegie Brothers & Company, Ltd. This made the new company very large and powerful. It was worth nearly $5 million, and Andrew Carnegie owned more than half of it.
The businesses that joined together were:
- Sciota Ore Mines
- Union Iron Mills
- Edgar Thomson Steel Works
- Lucy Furnaces
- Monastery Coke Works
- Larimer Coke Works
Key People and Growth
A man named Henry Clay Frick became very important to the company. He started by supplying the company with coal and coke, which are fuels needed to make steel. Soon, he became the main supplier of coke.
Andrew Carnegie's brother, Thomas Carnegie, passed away in 1886. After this, Henry Clay Frick took on more responsibility. He began to manage parts of the company and also bought shares in it. Frick was later promoted to chairman, which is like being the boss of the company's operations.
Frick worked closely with Andrew Carnegie to make the business even better. He helped buy out other companies, like the Duquesne Steel works. On July 1, 1892, Frick helped combine "Carnegie Brothers & Company, Limited" with another company, "Carnegie, Phipps & Company." They formed a new, even bigger company called Carnegie Steel Company.
Connecting with Railroads
Carnegie Brothers & Company also worked with many railway and transportation companies. They had agreements with companies like the Keystone Bridge Company and the Pittsburgh and Western Railroad. These partnerships were important because steel was needed to build bridges and train tracks.
The company also worked with groups like the Rail Makers’ Association. This group focused on making train rails. At the time, many companies, including Carnegie's, wanted to make railroads more organized and connected. Carnegie's company invested in these efforts.
In 1877, some railroad companies merged to form the Pittsburgh, New Castle & Lake Erie Railroad. Carnegie Brothers & Company was an investor in this new railroad. They also supplied materials to the Pittsburgh and Western Railway. This shows how important the company was to the growth of railroads in the United States.
Company Records
The old financial records of Carnegie Brothers & Company are kept safe at the University of Pittsburgh. You can find them in the Archives Service Center at the University of Pittsburgh Library System.
