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John D. Rockefeller III

American philanthropist (1906–1978)

John Davison Rockefeller III (March 21, 1906 – July 10, 1978) was an American philanthropist. Rockefeller was the eldest son and second child of John D. Rockefeller Jr.2

From Wikipedia’s article on John D. Rockefeller III (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Mar 21, 1906, died Jul 10, 1978.1

About

Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller as well as a grandson of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller. He was engaged in a wide range of philanthropic projects, many of which his family had launched, as well as supporting organizations related to East Asian affairs. Rockefeller was also a major supporter of the Population Council, and the committee that created the Lincoln Center in Manhattan.

From Wikipedia’s article on John D. Rockefeller III, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Companies

Early life and education

  • Date not recordedPrinceton University3

On March 21, 1906, John Davison Rockefeller III was born in New York City, New York. His parents were John Davison Rockefeller Jr. (1874–1960) and Abigail Greene "Abby" Aldrich (1874–1948), philanthropists. He had four younger brothers, Nelson, Winthrop, Laurance and David, and an elder sister, Abby. Through his father, he was a grandson of Standard Oil co-founder John Davison Rockefeller Sr. and schoolteacher Laura Celestia "Cettie" Spelman. Through his mother, he was a grandson of Senator Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich and Abigail Pearce Truman "Abby" Chapman.

He received his preparatory education at the Browning School in New York City and the Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, Connecticut, in 1925. He went to Princeton University where he received high honors in economics and graduated in 1929 with the degree of Bachelor of Science, choosing industrial relations as the subject of his senior thesis. His interest in industrial relations stemmed from the family's role in the Ludlow Massacre, in which strikebreakers and security guards killed women and children of miners striking against the Rockefeller-controlled Colorado Fuel and Iron Company. Rockefeller's father worked to restore the family's public reputation by championing industrial relations and the work of William Lyon Mackenzie King, a pioneer in the field.

Commencing a lifelong commitment to international relations, he undertook a world tour after graduating from college, which concluded with assignments for the Institute of Pacific Relations conference in Japan.

From Wikipedia’s article on John D. Rockefeller III (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: entrepreneur.10

  • Date not recordedFounded International House of Japan4
  • Date not recordedFounded Agricultural Development Council5
  • Date not recordedFounded Products of Asia6
  • Date not recordedFounded Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts7
  • Date not recordedFounded Population Council8
  • Date not recordedFounded Rockefeller Brothers Fund9

Personal life

  • BornMar 21, 1906, New York City11
  • DiedJul 10, 1978, Pocantico Hills12
  • CitizenshipUnited States13 14
  • SpouseBlanchette Ferry Rockefeller 1932 to 197815

On November 11, 1932, he married the socially connected Blanchette Ferry Hooker (1909–1992), who was to serve as chairman of the Asian Cultural Council from 1980 to 1990, and who established the Blanchette H. Rockefeller Fellowship Fund, in Japan. They had one son and three daughters:

Sandra Ferry Rockefeller (1935–2024)

John Davison "Jay" Rockefeller IV – a former U.S. Senator from West Virginia and a former two-term governor of that state

Hope Aldrich Rockefeller

Alida Ferry Rockefeller

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Death

Rockefeller was killed in an automobile accident in Mount Pleasant, New York (near the Rockefeller family estate in Pocantico), on July 10, 1978, at the age of 72. He is buried at the Rockefeller Family Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York.

From Wikipedia’s article on John D. Rockefeller III (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Sources

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