Today in Archbold History: John D. Archbold Born in Leesburg, OH

July 26, 1848

John Dustin Archbold, the namesake of John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital, was born on July 26, 1848, 177 years ago tomorrow.

Archbold was of Irish and English descent, born in Leesburg, Ohio, to Methodist Episcopal minister Rev. Israel Archbold and his wife, Francis Foster (Dana) Archbold. The early death of his father and the absence of his older brothers left John with the responsibility of supporting his family. 

He dropped out of school to work at a grocery store, took on odd jobs, and studied in the evenings to educate himself.

He was physically short of stature, but had a big personality. He was described as “religious but ambitious and possessed of a cheerful humor, ready wit, and the whole-souled way he went about his work.” He was “bright, alert, fearless, quick at figures and bubbling over with high spirits.”

He was just sixteen years old when he first worked in the oil business in Pennsylvania. By 1867, he had earned enough to purchase a home for his mother and send his sisters to college. While he originally worked to organize the independent oil companies against the Standard Oil Company, his company was later absorbed by Standard Oil.

At the turn of the 20th century, the Standard Oil Company, led by John D. Rockefeller, was one of the largest and most powerful companies in the world. Archbold was associated with Rockefeller and Standard Oil from 1875 onward. According to C. L. Bragg, “his relationship with Rockefeller and Standard Oil would be greatly beneficial to all parties.

By 1911, Archbold was the president of the company. He held that position until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Standard Oil was a monopoly and ordered the company to split up. Archbold then served as president of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey.

“The poor boy from Ohio was the second most important person at Standard Oil after Rockefeller, who had become America’s first billionaire and was arguably the wealthiest American of all time,” notes Bragg in A Century of Healing.

John D. Archbold married Annie Aliza Mills in 1870. They had three daughters, Mary Lavina, Anne, and Frances, and a son, John Foster. Their home, Cedar Cliff, was located in Tarrytown, New York, and they attended St. Paul’s Methodist Episcopal Church. Archbold was a significant donor to the church and Syracuse University, whose football stadium (at left) eventually bore his name.

In 1931, an oil industry colleague described John D. Archbold as “one of the quickest, shrewdest thinkers I ever knew, and one of the most buoyant characters. He was unassuming and democratic. He would permit no one to address him except ‘Johnnie,’ even when he was chairman of the board.”

Archbold was a prominent man. He testified on behalf of the Standard Oil Company to the U.S. Congress on several occasions, and he was the target of a failed anarchist assassination attempt. He was wealthy and owned numerous estates, as well as a yacht to traverse the Hudson River. He was also a generous man, donating millions to schools, churches, and other charity organizations.

John D. Archbold died in Tarrytown, New York, on December 5, 1916. He is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (at right) in the Archbold Mausoleum. Less than a decade after his death, John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital opened in Thomasville, Georgia. Funded by his son, John F. “Jack” Archbold”, the hospital remains a lasting memorial to his father and a testament to the generosity of the Archbold family. 

If you’re interested in learning more about John D. Archbold, Jack Archbold, or the history of the Archbold hospital system, consider purchasing a copy of A Century of Healing. Written and researched by C. L. Bragg, the official book of Archbold’s Centennial is available in the Archbold Auxiliary Gift Shop, The Bookshelf, and the Thomasville History Center. Learn more at www.archbold.org/book.