A strong belief in, and passion for, free education led the highly influential philanthropist and businessman, Andrew Carnegie, to dedicate much of his life and self-made fortune to educational causes around the world.

Investing in various business endeavours, Carnegie made a small fortune by the age of thirty and by the turn of the century he became the wealthiest man in the world. Carnegie held the strong belief that it was not only the role but the responsibility of the wealthy to donate their money to causes that would help people educate themselves in the name of a higher quality of life, as well as to help them build stronger communities.

Carnegie’s strongest philanthropic initiative was the creation of 2,509 free public libraries around the world. Of the 125 Canadian libraries Carnegie funded, 111 were built in Ontario. A typical Carnegie grant would be about $10,000 – a sum which would amount to approximately $650,000 today. In total, Andrew Carnegie spent $2,556,600 on the construction of libraries in Canada. The use of these funds contributed significantly to the development of literacy and small communities across the country.

• More on Carnegie’s life …

Photos courtesy of the Yorkville and Perth East Public Librairies

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