Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Trust (business)" in English language version.
Standard Oil continued expanding uninterruptedly, but state laws and organizational complexities made its size an impediment. Samuel Calvin Tait Dodd, who served as Standard Oil's general solicitor from 1881 to 1905,[...] devised a solution. He created a legal instrument to manage size — the 'trust.'[...] In January 1882, Dodd converted the common-law apparatus to a corporate device that would promote the accumulation of capital and managerial efficiency.