Was the World's Richest Man in Bolivar?
The Short Answer is NO! But look what we found out...
Bolivar Hotel Registry Bolivar Hotel
The old Bolivar Hotel registry clearly lists John D. Rockefeller as being a registered guest on Tuesday, February 9, 1909 in Bolivar, Tennessee. John D. Rockefeller at this time would have been almost 70 years old; he had already made his vast fortune and had stepped down from the leadership of his oil companies in 1897.
Out of curiosity, we contacted the Rockefeller Archives Center to validate this visit. The Rockefeller Archives confirms that John D. Rockefeller was most likely in Augusta, Georgia on February 9, 1909 (and not Bolivar, Tennessee).
However, our research did confirm that John D. Rockefeller sponsored a philanthropic mission to wipe out a major epidemic that was affecting about 40% of the population of the southern United States -- elimination of hookworm disease in America. The Rockefeller Archives Center did confirm that JDR donated money for the creation of the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission; however, he was not directly involved in its administration or operations, and this would have been the case with the other philanthropies that he supported as well.
Here is the Hardeman County Connection ...
In 1910, an estimated 40% of the population of the southern United States was infected with hookworm. People had little or no idea of what caused it. John D. Rockefeller created the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission for the Eradication of Hookworm Disease (RSC) with the intention of eliminating the disease across the region. By implementing a three-pronged approach, including mapping the disease, curing patients and providing education, the RSC not only dramatically reduced the disease but created a culture of public health in America.
John D. Rockefeller, Sr. committed a million dollars to create the RSC (about $25 Million in today's dollars). The Rockefeller foundation purposefully appointed Southerners to the Board of the RSC to ease the organizations acceptance in the region. Wickliffe Rose, a humanities professor from Saulsbury, Tennessee (Hardeman County) was appointed Executive Secretary of the RSC. While Rose may have lacked medical expertise, he excelled in the position, proving to be a visionary in public health education.
Learn More About This Exceptional Campaign
What is Hookworm?
Watch a two minute clip made by RSC in 1920
Learn more about Wickliffe Rose and his contributions to Public Health in the U.S.
What is Hookworm?
Hookworm is an intestinal parasite of humans. The larvae and adult worms live in the small intestine can cause intestinal disease. Hookworm eggs are passed or spread in the feces of an infected person. If an infected person defecates outside (near bushes, in a garden, or field) or if the feces from an infected person are used as fertilizer, eggs are deposited on soil. They can then mature and hatch, releasing larvae (immature worms). The larvae mature into a form that can penetrate the skin of humans. Hookworm infection is transmitted primarily by walking barefoot on contaminated soil.
People living in areas with warm and moist climates and where sanitation and hygiene are poor are at risk for hookworm infection if they walk barefoot or in other ways allow their skin to have direct contact with contaminated soil. Soil is contaminated by an infected person defecating outside or when human feces ("night soil") are used as fertilizer. Children who play in contaminated soil may also be at risk.
Itching and a localized rash are often the first signs of infection. These symptoms occur when the larvae penetrate the skin. A person with a light infection may have no symptoms. A person with a heavy infection may experience abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue and anemia. The physical and cognitive growth of children can be affected.
Health care providers can diagnose hookworm by taking a stool sample and using a microscope to look for the presence of hookworm eggs. Hookworm can be prevented by not walking barefoot in areas where hookworm is common and where there may be fecal contamination of the soil. Avoid other skin-to-soil contact and avoid ingesting such soil. Fecal contamination occurs when people defecate outdoors or use human feces as fertilizer. The infection of others can be prevented by not defecating outdoors or using human feces as fertilizer, and by effective sewage disposal systems.
Hookworm infections are generally treated for 1-3 days with medication prescribed by your health care provider (usually a treatment of Epsom salts and thymol). The drugs are effective and appear to have few side effects. Iron supplements may be prescribed if you have anemia.
2 Minute 1920 Hookworm Public Service Message
Note: After viewing this video, close the tab to return to Historic Bolivar Website
About Wickliffe Rose
“His powers of intellect, character and leadership led to the advancement of human welfare in the fields of education and public health.”
William H. Welch, Wickliffe Rose Memorial Meeting at Rockefeller Institute, 26 February 1932
Born in Saulsbury, Tennessee in 1862, Wickliffe Rose devoted much of his life to modernizing the American South and to public health work around the world. A professor of history and philosophy by training, Rose began his career teaching at Peabody College and the University of Nashville. In 1910 he joined the Southern Education Board, an organization devoted to remedying the problems of public education in the American South. He remained with the organization until 1915. Rose’s association with Rockefeller organizations began in 1910 with his appointment as Executive Secretary of the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission (RSC). In this role he directed a massive and successful public health campaign to eradicate hookworm disease in the Southern United States. In its first five years the campaign examined nearly 1.5 million people and provided treatment for 500,000 patients. The campaign was also responsible for the overall improvement of sanitary conditions in the South and for making significant inroads in the improvement of state and local health services. The success of the campaign had major ramifications for improved economic and educational conditions in the South, and the lessons learned during that campaign were applied in subsequent hookworm eradication campaigns worldwide. As a result of his success with the RSC, Rose was appointed one of the original trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation in 1913. He also served as Chairman of the War Relief Commission from 1914 to 1917 and
General Director of the International Health Division (IHD) from 1915 to 1923. As Chairman of the War Relief Commission, he directed support for European refugees, tracked the spread of diseases such as typhus across Europe and administered monetary support for military hospitals devoted to the problems of battlefield wounds and infections. In his role at IHD, Rose applied skills learned during the hookworm campaign to other major global public health campaigns, including research into the causes and eradication of yellow fever. Rose also helped to found public health schools at Johns Hopkins University and Harvard and assisted in the founding the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Following his tenure with the IHD, Rose served as President of the both the General Education Board (GEB) and the International Education Board (IEB) in 1923. In these roles he once again devoted his talents to improving educational opportunities for both white and African-American students in the American South. Rose retired from his work with the RF in 1928, and he died in 1931.
Researchers can access a small collection of Wickliffe Rose papers at the Rockefeller Archive Center (RAC), while a larger collection is held by the Churchill Archives Centre at the University of Cambridge.
Note: The information in this Profile of Wickliffe Rose is provided courtesy of Rockefeller Archive Center
Researching history is an interesting endeavor. While we were NOT able to document the presence of John D. Rockefeller being at the Bolivar Hotel on February 9, 1909 and we will likely never identify the impostor that slept there, we uncovered a more significant story about the eradication of hookworm disease and the leadership role that Wickliffe Rose, a native of Saulsbury, Tennessee, played with the financial support of John D. Rockefeller.
Thanks to the Rockefeller Archive Center for their support in documenting the RSC and for the JDR Hookworm Letter of October 26, 1909 as well as the 1920 two minute Hookworm video public service message. The copyright for these items belongs to the Rockefeller Archive Center.