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History has recorded numerous upright and well-known people around the world. However, only few of these great people have openly dedicated their lives and riches for the enhancement of mankind. One of these distinctive people who remarkably earned my admiration is Andrew Carnegie.

Biographical Information
Andrew Carnegie was born on November 25, 1835 in Dunfermline, Scotland. Andrew was the first son of William Carnegie, a linen weaver, and of Margaret Carnegie. Due to economic depression, Andrews family was forced to migrate to the United States in 1848 where he and his family joined a Scottish settlement at Allegheny, Pennsylvania. At the age of 13, Andrew worked in a cotton factory in Allegheny as a bobbin boy. Eventually, he worked as a messenger boy, telegraph operator, and then in a series of positions in the Western Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Although Andrew attended night school, it was his interest in reading books from a local library that primarily provided his education while he was working.

The Multi-Millionaire
Andrew Carnegie is known for his success in the steel industry. While still working at the Railroad, Andrew intelligently invested in a number of promising ventures, particularly in small iron factories and mills. However, he made the first of his many business investments in an emerging company that built railway sleeping cars. In time, Andrew stretched his business endeavors by investing in companies that built rails, locomotives and bridges, the most significant of which took place in 1865, when he invested and organized the Keystone Bridge Company. In the end, the steel company of Andrew had exceptionally prospered to the point that by the time he sold his company to J. P. Morgan in 1901, it was already valued at approximately 400 million. With his enormous amount of personal fortune, Carnegie generously established a trust fund dedicated for the enhancement of mankind.

Philanthropic Works
The philanthropic career of Andrew Carnegie began around 1870. He believes that rich people are simply trustees of their riches and are under a moral obligation to share it out in manners that uphold the happiness and welfare of the common people. In view of this, Andrew carried out numerous generous works, most of which were primarily focused on providing free public libraries to local residents. Carnegie donated his first library building to the citizens of Dunfemline, Scotland, which was followed by several other donations to 2,509 English-speaking communities all over the world. In 1901, when Carnegie retired from business, he further distributed his fortune to the constructions of additional libraries. His interest in music has likewise encouraged him to fund the constructions of numerous church organs. In addition, Andrew donated a large amount of money for the establishment of several schools and colleges, the most prominent of which are Washingtons Carnegie Institution and Carnegie Institute, and Pittsburghs Carnegie Institute, as well as nonprofit associations and organizations both in Scotland and in the United States. By the time of Andrews death in 1919, his liberal donations amounted to more than 350 million, aside from the 125 million he donated to the institutions and trusts that he endowed to carry on his good works.

Conclusion
Without a doubt, Andrew Carnegie is not only one of the most prominent leaders of industry during the second half of 19th and first half of 20th centuries, but also a person that has significantly affected several lives. Because Andrew believes that a person who dies wealthy dies disgraced, he devoted a large portion of his life to extensive philanthropic works. He gratuitously distributed a large portion of his wealth for purposes of public interest and educational and social advancement. As a result, he significantly helped to improve the conditions of working-class life. Andrew Carnegie is beyond doubt a Christian humanitarian with adequate insatiability to search wealth while remaining to be a person with extraordinary moral and ethics that is worthy of admiration.