Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States · US Supreme Court · 1911

Must Standard Oil be broken up?

Short answer: Yes: broken into separate companies.

The facts. John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil controlled about 90% of US oil refining by buying or crushing rivals. The government sued under federal antitrust law, and Standard Oil said size alone was no crime.

The ruling. Standard Oil v. United States (1911): The Court held the company illegally monopolized the industry and ordered it split up, while adopting a 'rule of reason.'

Exxon, Mobil, and Chevron all trace their origins to the breakup. Rockefeller grew richer because the pieces were worth more than the whole.

Read the source

For fun, not legal advice.