Ida Tarbell didn't shy away from exposing wrongdoings in society. How people treated others mattered. Character mattered. She placed immense value on the integrity of people and the way they treated others and believed that progress happened from people making moral decisions.
Ida was born in Hatch Hollow, Pennsylvania, in 1857. From a young age, she became determined to become well-educated and independent. And despite the limited opportunities for women in higher education during that time, Ida was able to attend Allegheny College, where she was the only woman in her graduating class. In 1880, she earned a degree in biology.
But while this early pursuit of science didn't lead to a career, it birthed her "quest for the truth," serving as a precursor to her later endeavors. Ida, who during college, developed an interest in writing, became a journalist with a desire to expose corrupt and unethical practices. It was her way of making the world a better place.
Ida's commitment to truth and justice drove her to expose numerous wrongdoings in society. But, arguably, her most famous was an expose chronicling the corrupt practices of John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil, the largest company of the time. With its extensive reach and influential clout, Standard Oil was seen as an embodiment of corporate greed, engaging in ruthless and unethical practices to eliminate competition and establish dominance in the oil industry. Ida's family had experienced the devastating consequences of Standard Oil first-hand with her father's business.
Her meticulous investigation unfolded Standard Oil's corrupt practices, unethical strategies, and manipulative maneuvers to consolidate power and monopolize the oil industry. She would write about the company, "They had never played fair, and that ruined their greatness for me." It was a poignant reflection of her deep-rooted belief in fairness, equality, and morality.
The series, published over two years beginning in 1905, was not just a chronicle of corporate corruption but a powerful catalyst for societal and legislative change. It stirred public consciousness and ignited debates, creating a groundswell of support for stringent anti-trust legislation. This public fervor and legislative momentum culminated in the historic dissolution of Standard Oil, marking a significant victory for anti-trust reforms.
Ida would continue to write for years, publishing more investigative journalism stories, books, biographies, and other works. She passed away on January 6, 1944.
Sources:
Ida M. Tarbell, No. 1. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs division, <www.loc.gov/item/97509168/>. / “Ida M. Tarbell crop.” Wikimedia Commons, Wikimedia Foundation, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ida_M._Tarbell_crop.jpg
Randolph, Josephine D. “A Notable Pennsylvanian: Ida Minerva Tarbell, 1857-1944.” Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies, vol. 66, no. 2, 1999, pp. 215–41. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27774189. Accessed 29 Sept. 2023.
Tarbell, Ida. All in the Day’s Work: An Autobiography. The Macmillan Company, 1939.