Rockefeller family

American family

Written byAlicja Zelazko

Fact-checked byThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

John D. Rockefeller and his son, John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

John D. Rockefeller (left) walking with his son, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., about 1915. Rockefeller, Sr., was an American industrialist and philanthropist and founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust.

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (cph 3a48646)

Rockefeller family, prominent American family whose philanthropy and influence over several generations helped shape the modern United States. Their impact on such fields as business, banking, politics, health care, education, conservation, and the arts could still be felt in the 21st century. The best-known members of the family include John D. Rockefeller, Sr., and his son, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. The wife of Rockefeller Jr., Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, was a powerhouse in the art world, and the five sons she had with her husband—John D. Rockefeller III, Nelson Rockefeller, Laurance Rockefeller, Winthrop Rockefeller, and David Rockefeller—each pursued a significant legacy of his own.

American industrialist John D. Rockefeller.

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

John D. Rockefeller, Sr., the patriarch, made the family fortune through the oil business and became the world’s first billionaire (1916). Although Rockefeller was born (1839) to a family of modest means, he managed to save money and embark on several enterprises as an adult. In 1863, with his business partners, Rockefeller established an oil refinery near Cleveland. It soon became the largest in the area, and in 1870 he incorporated the Standard Oil Company with his younger brother William and several associates. Thereafter Rockefeller launched an aggressive takeover strategy, buying out Standard Oil’s competitors, acquiring pipelines, and negotiating favourable rates with the railroads for transporting oil. By controlling nearly every part of the business, Rockefeller had in effect created a monopoly. In 1882 the Standard Oil Company and its affiliates combined to form the Standard Oil Trust.

Historic black and white photograph of the Standard Oil Building, now called 26 Broadway, a large multi-tiered skyscraper in New York City, surrounded by other tall buildings and busy streets, taken in 1929.

The former Standard Oil Building, Lower Manhattan, New York City, constructed in 1921–28 atop an original building of 1884–85; designed by Thomas Hastings. It was the headquarters of the Standard Oil Trust and successor companies until 1956.

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Next!, illustration from Puck magazine (September 7, 1904), showing a Standard Oil storage tank as an octopus with tentacles wrapped around the steel, copper, and shipping industries, a state house, and the U.S. Capitol and with one tentacle reaching for the White House.

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-USZCN4-122)

As demand for oil grew around the world and oil production became an integral part of the American economy, Rockefeller gained an extraordinary amount of power and wealth. His fairly ruthless practices, however, led the U.S. Congress to pass the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890), outlawing monopolies. In 1892 the Ohio Supreme Court found Standard Oil Trust in violation of its state law prohibiting monopolies. Rockefeller responded by dissolving the trust but effectively continuing to operate the company from New York City.

Eckhart Hall (right) and Ryerson Physical Laboratory on the campus of the University of Chicago.

Rockefeller retained his title as president of Standard Oil until 1911, when the U.S. Supreme Court found the company in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act and ordered it to divest itself of major holdings. By that time, however, Rockefeller had largely retired from active leadership, having turned his attention to philanthropy in the 1890s. He helped establish the University of Chicago in 1890, and, with the help of his son and a wealth manager, Rockefeller created major philanthropic institutions. These included the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research (1901; later Rockefeller University) in New York, New York; the General Education Board (1902); and the Rockefeller Foundation (1913).

American philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

UPI—Bettmann/Corbis

Ruins of the Ludlow miners’ camp in Colorado after it was burned by National Guard troops, April 1914.

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Rockefeller married Laura Celestia Spelman, a teacher and former schoolmate, in 1864. Together they had five children, four daughters and one son. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., was the youngest, born in 1874. After graduating from Brown University (1897), he joined his father in business, but his focus eventually turned to philanthropy. Historians trace the pivot to 1914 when he was one of the individuals blamed for the so-called Ludlow Massacre. On April 20 private security forces and the Colorado National Guard allegedly fired upon armed coal miners, who were striking against the Rockefeller-owned Colorado Fuel and Iron Company. A standoff ensued, and the state militia ultimately set fire to the makeshift settlement where thousands of workers and their families had been living. Some 60 people were killed, including two women and 11 children. Rockefeller Jr. was said to have worked his entire life to reclaim the Rockefeller name through charity work.

Crowds of people ice skating at the Rockefeller Center rink in New York City, with a large Christmas tree and illuminated trees in the background at night.

The skating rink at Rockefeller Center, New York City.

Interior view of the Fuentiduena Chapel at The Cloisters in New York City, showing stone walls, arched apse with a fresco, and medieval sculptures on display.

Fuentiduena Chapel at the Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in northern Manhattan, New York City.

In addition to the institutions Rockefeller Jr. established with his father, he constructed Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center (1940), the building of which created 75,000 jobs during the Great Depression; helped establish the United Service Organizations, or USO (1941), an agency providing services to members of the U.S. military and their families; and donated land on Manhattan for the United Nations headquarters. He also helped fund the restoration of colonial Williamsburg, Virginia; the construction of affordable housing in impoverished neighbourhoods of New York City; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s purchase of George Grey Barnard’s Cloisters (later the Met Cloisters) in northern Manhattan.

Entrance to MoMA in New York City.

Rockefeller Jr. married Abby Greene Aldrich, the daughter of U.S. Sen. Nelson W. Aldrich, in 1901. Her philanthropy focused on institutions such as the YWCA and Planned Parenthood, but her greatest achievement was the founding, with friends, of the Museum of Modern Art (1929; MoMA) in New York. It was one of the first museums in the country devoted to Modernism and remained a world-class institution into the 21st century. Over the years, the Rockefellers donated several of their properties on West 53rd and 54th streets to the museum, and eventually their former home was cleared and became MoMA’s famous sculpture garden. It was dedicated (1953) to the memory of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller.

Night view of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York, New York.

Nils Olander

Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller had six children: Abby Rockefeller (later Mauzé), John D. Rockefeller III, Nelson Rockefeller, Laurance Rockefeller, Winthrop Rockefeller, and David Rockefeller. The eldest, Abby Rockefeller Mauzé, born in 1903, made her mark quietly, establishing the Greenacre Foundation (1968) to maintain green spaces in New York state and Greenacre Park (1971), a pocket park in New York. Her five younger brothers had a great impact in politics, banking, and the arts. The eldest brother, John D. Rockefeller III, was born in 1906 and developed an interest in Japan and Asia after World War II. He collected Asian art, rehabilitated the Japan Society, and organized the Asia Society (1956). John D. Rockefeller III was also instrumental in the establishment of Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts (1956), New York.

Nelson Rockefeller.

Vice Pres. Nelson Rockefeller (left) and Speaker of the House Carl Albert looking on as U.S. Pres. Gerald Ford delivers the State of the Union address, January 15, 1975.

David Hume Kennerly—Official White House Photo/Gerald R. Ford Library

Nelson Rockefeller, born in 1908, was perhaps the most ambitious and gregarious of the brothers. He largely focused on politics, becoming the leader of the liberal arm of the Republican Party. Although he was unsuccessful in three U.S. presidential bids (in 1960, 1964, and 1968), he served four terms as governor of New York state (1959–73) and became the 41st U.S. vice president (1974–77) in Pres. Gerald Ford’s administration. Nelson Rockefeller was also the founder and president of the Museum of Primitive Art (1954, closed in 1976, and incorporated in 1982 into the Metropolitan Museum of Art as the Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Wing, named for Nelson’s youngest son, who disappeared in New Guinea while on an anthropological expedition in 1961) in New York.

The third Rockefeller brother, Laurance Rockefeller, was born in 1910 and primarily focused on venture capitalism. He invested in start-ups in aviation, computers, and biotechnology and was an early investor in Apple and Intel. Laurance Rockefeller was also an environmentalist who developed and expanded a number of national parks throughout the United States. The fourth Rockefeller brother, Winthrop Rockefeller, was born in 1912 and settled in Arkansas, establishing a cattle operation in 1953. He later served as the Republican governor of Arkansas (1967–71).

The youngest, David Rockefeller, was born in 1915 and became a banker. He played a significant role in two mergers that made Chase National Bank of New York one of the largest financial institutions in the world. The merger between Chase and the Bank of the Manhattan Company (1955) inspired David Rockefeller to construct new headquarters, which resulted in One Chase Manhattan Plaza (1961). Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the building quickly became a significant part of New York City’s urban landscape. David Rockefeller was also instrumental in perhaps the greatest addition to Manhattan’s skyline, the building of the World Trade Center (1973), which was destroyed in 2001 by the September 11 attacks.

U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller flanked by Sen. Robert Byrd (left) and Vice Pres. Dick Cheney (right), 2007.

Office of U.S. Senator Robert Byrd

David Rockefeller, the last surviving Rockefeller brother, died in 2017 at the age of 101. Nonetheless, the Rockefeller descendents continued their philanthropy, maintaining the three major nonprofit organizations their family established: the Rockefeller Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (1940), and the Rockefeller Family Fund (1967). A few family members entered politics, including John Rockefeller III’s son, John (“Jay”) Rockefeller IV, who served as governor of West Virginia (1976–84) and as a U.S. senator (1985–2015); and Winthrop Rockefeller’s son, Winthrop (“Win”) Rockefeller, Jr., who was lieutenant governor of Arkansas (1996–2006). Other family members pursued creative fields, such as David Rockefeller’s granddaughter Ariana Rockefeller, who became a fashion designer.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Alicja Zelazko