May 15, 1911 – The Supreme Court Orders the Dissolution of the Standard Oil Company

On this day in history, the Supreme Court ruled, in Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States (221 U.S. 1) that the Standard Oil Company was in violation of the Sherman Anti-trust Act of 1890 (26 Stat. 209). The Court’s remedy was to divide Standard Oil into several geographically separate and eventually competing firms.

You can read our detailed analysis of this case, here.

1904 Political cartoon showing a Standard Oil tank as an octopus with many tentacles wrapped around the steel, copper, and shipping industries, as well as a state house, the U.S. Capitol, and one tentacle reaching for the White House.