Standard Oil Trust transferred to Standard Oil Company and signed by John D. Archbold, H.M. Flagler and J.D. Rockefeller - 1889 dated Autographed Stock Certificate

Stock signed by J.D. Rockefeller and H.M. Flagler on front. Transfer to Standard Oil Company and Jno. D Archbold signs as Vice President on attached transfer at back. Total of 4-$1 green revenue stamps on back! Very rare!

John D. Archbold; Capitalist. Speculator in Pennsylvania oil fields, 1866. When the South Improvement Co., whose membership included John D. Rockefeller, blocked the advance of Pennsylvania oil producers by obtaining railroad freight rebates, Archbold united the leading men of the Titusville region and defeated this strong Cleveland group. He then joined the Cleveland combination in working out a national organization to control the oil industry. John Dustin Archbold was a key executive in the growth and success of the Standard Oil Company. He became a Director of Standard Oil of Ohio Company in 1875 and by 1897 was functionally in charge of the company. As president (1896-1911) of Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (founded 1882) he was largely instrumental in building up that corporation’s business. From 1882 until his death he was dominant in Standard Oil Company policy, acted as spokesman for the company, and improved the product and it’s distribution. Over 30 years (1893-1914) he contributed funds (nearly $6,000,000) for 8 buildings at Syracuse University, including the full cost of the Archbold stadium (opened 1907, demolished 1972), Sims Hall (men's dormitory, 1907), the Archbold gymnasium (1909, nearly destroyed by fire in 1947 but still in use), and the oval athletic field. A bequest from his estate gave an additional $500,000 to the university. Among his other charities was the New York Kindergarten Association, for which he built its headquarters building, in memory of his deceased daughter, Frances Dana Wolcott, and for which he also provided an endowment fund of $100,000. His grandson, Richard Archbold, founded the Archbold Biological Station in 1941 In 1911, at the dissolution of the original company, he became president of Standard Oil of New Jersey.

John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American business magnate and philanthropist, widely regarded as the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history. Born into a large family in upstate New York, Rockefeller's family moved several times before settling in Cleveland, Ohio. At the age of 16, he began working as an assistant bookkeeper and entered various business partnerships starting at age 20, focusing on oil refining. In 1870, Rockefeller founded the Standard Oil Company, which he managed until 1897 while remaining its largest shareholder.

Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a co-founder of Standard Oil, originally based in Ohio. Flagler played a pivotal role in developing the Atlantic coast of Florida and founded the Florida East Coast Railway, which was significantly built through convict leasing. He is often referred to as the father of Miami and Palm Beach, Florida.

Standard Oil Trust

In response to state laws that restricted the scale of companies, Rockefeller and his associates devised innovative organizational strategies to manage their rapidly expanding enterprise. On January 2, 1882, they consolidated their various companies, which were spread across multiple states, under a single trust. In a confidential arrangement, the 37 existing stockholders transferred their shares "in trust" to nine trustees: John and William Rockefeller, Oliver H. Payne, Charles Pratt, Henry Flagler, John D. Archbold, William G. Warden, Jabez Bostwick, and Benjamin Brewster.

State legislatures had imposed various restrictions on out-of-state corporations, such as special taxes or prohibitions on holding stock in companies based elsewhere, aiming to encourage successful companies to incorporate—and thus pay taxes—in their own state. The trust structure adopted by Standard Oil proved so effective that other major enterprises soon followed suit.

By 1882, John Dustin Archbold, one of Rockefeller's key aides, was left in charge as Rockefeller shifted his focus to philanthropy after 1896. Notable figures associated with the company included Henry Flagler, who developed the Florida East Coast Railway and resort cities, and Henry H. Rogers, who built the Virginian Railway. In 1885, Standard Oil of Ohio relocated its headquarters from Cleveland to 26 Broadway in New York City. Simultaneously, the trustees chartered the Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey (SOCNJ) to leverage New Jersey’s more favorable corporate stock ownership laws.

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