John D. Rockefeller has a male sibling.
John Davison Rockefeller Sr. ( July 8 , 1839 -- May 23 , 1937 ) was an American oil industry business magnate and philanthropist . After buying them out , he and his brother William founded Rockefeller & Andrews with Samuel Andrews . Rockefeller formally founded the Standard Oil Company , Inc. in 1870 as an Ohio partnership with his brother , Henry Flagler , Jabez A. Bostwick , Samuel Andrews , and a silent partner , Stephen V. Harkness .