John Davison Rockefeller (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American businessman. He controlled an oil company called Standard Oil, which sold most of the oil in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the first billionaire in world history. He is considered to be the richest man in American history, and one of the richest men in the history of the world.