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Auction: 336 - The Numismatic Collector's Series Sale
Lot: 1873

Carnegie, Andrew. (1835-1919). ALS. 3 pages. 8vo. There are two Andrew Carnegie signatures; one on the letter, and one on the original envelope, addressed by Carnegie, and signed by him near the lower right corner. July 1, 1910. Skibo Castle, Dornoch, Sutherland, Scotland. To Samuel Barr, Esq. "Dear Uncle Sam, Good. Delited(SIC) you are to have a round the world tour, nothing like it…I wish to present your guardian angel with five hundred dollars spending money which she is to spend as she pleases…" Carnegie ends with "Ever my Dear bosom friend of old. Your devoted Andrew Carnegie." Andrew Carnegie was an industrialist and philanthropist who came to Pittsburgh from Scotland in 1848. He worked his way up from being a bobbin boy in a factory to a telegraph delivery boy, and caught the eye of Thomas Scott, one of the most influential rail road men in the country. Serving under Scott as his secretary, he acquired some of the tools necessary to become a successful capitalist. After the War Between the States, Carnegie concentrated his attention on the steel industry, and he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. He merged his company with United States Steel, receiving 225 million dollars in gold bonds. Carnegie later devoted his life primarily to philanthropy, distributing an estimated 350 million dollars throughout his later years. He continued to monitor his business interests from Skibo Castle when he was in Scotland. This letter illustrates Carnegie's personal generosity. He not only gives $500 to his friend's "guardian angel", but he insists it should be spent upon personal items, for pure pleasure. It is hard reconcile this with Carnegie's tough-as-nails attitude toward his business. Excellent condition, with just a trace of age toning on the blank page.

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