Think and Grow Rich, published in 1937, remains one of the most widely circulated self-help books in history. Its author, Oliver Napoleon Hill, built a career centered on principles of success and the power of positive expectation, though his life was frequently punctuated by accusations of fraud and the collapse of numerous business ventures across the United States.
Early Life and Journalism
Born in 1883 in a cabin near Pound, Virginia, Hill was the son of James Monroe Hill, a dentist, and Sarah Sylvania Blair. Following his mother's death, he was raised by his father and stepmother. At age thirteen, he began working as a mountain reporter for his father's newspaper. His early transition to the business world involved a stint at a coal mine in Tazewell, Virginia, where he assisted lawyer Rufus A. Ayers.
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Hill's career was marked by a series of failed enterprises and legal controversies. In 1907, he moved to Mobile, Alabama, to co-found the Acree-Hill Lumber Company, which faced bankruptcy and mail fraud charges by 1908. Following this, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he established the Automobile College of Washington. The institution collapsed in 1912 after being criticized in the magazine Motor World as a scam. Later, in 1915, he formed the George Washington Institute of Advertising, which resulted in arrest warrants in 1918 for the fraudulent sale of school shares.
Literary Contribution and Disputed Claims
Hill published several works, most notably The Law of Success and Think and Grow Rich. These texts emphasized the importance of expectation in life. Throughout his life, Hill made various unverifiable claims, including that he had performed legal services as an attorney and held high-level advisory meetings with figures like Andrew Carnegie and Woodrow Wilson. Historical records offer no evidence to substantiate these assertions, and his career was frequently subject to investigations by the Federal Trade Commission and other regulatory bodies.
Personal Life and Final Years
Hill married several times throughout his life, starting with an annulled marriage at age fifteen. He married Edith Whitman in 1903, and later Florence Elizabeth Horner in 1910, with whom he had three sons: James, Napoleon Blair, and David. He continued his work as a writer, reporter, and journalist until his death in 1970 in Greenville. He is buried at the Frederick Memorial Gardens.
Fast facts
- Born: 1883, Pound
- Died: 1970, Greenville
- Notable work: Think and Grow Rich
- Notable work: The Law of Success
- Citizenship: United States
- Burial place: Frederick Memorial Gardens
Questions readers ask
Was Napoleon Hill a lawyer?
Although Hill used the title Attorney of Law, there is no official record of him performing legal services for any clients.
Did Napoleon Hill work with Woodrow Wilson?
Hill claimed to have advised Woodrow Wilson during the First World War, but there is no documentation in White House records to support this.
Achievements
- Notable work: Think and Grow Rich
- Worked as writer, essayist and journalist
