That's not right. USA Antitrust law was invented around 1900 to fight excesses is service of profile. A corporation could be chartered for any reason. What is

That's not right. USA Antitrust law was invented around 1900 to fight excesses is service of profile. A corporation could be chartered for any reason. What is true is that in the early 19th century there was a legal pretense that corporations had to justify their charter to the government in order to be approved and renewed. One of the very first corporations in USA was Alexander Hamilton's bank, that ran a water utility as a front operation. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Manhattan_Company https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Manhattan_Company The old days weren't as honorable as the stories whitewash. But not-just-for-profit corporations have existed for a long time. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_Corporation_(certification) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_Corporation_(certification... is a modern trend.