John D. Rockefeller Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John D. Rockefeller Jr.
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Rockefeller in 1920
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| Born |
John Davison Rockefeller Jr.
January 29, 1874 |
| Died | May 11, 1960 (aged 86) Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Brown University (BA) |
| Occupation | Financier, Philanthropist |
| Spouse(s) |
Martha Baird
(m. 1951) |
| Children | Abigail, John III, Nelson, Laurance, Winthrop, and David |
| Parent(s) | John Davison Rockefeller Sr. Laura Celestia Spelman |
| Relatives | Rockefeller family |
| Awards | Public Welfare Medal (1943) |
John Davison Rockefeller Jr. (born January 29, 1874 – died May 11, 1960) was an important American businessman and a very generous giver to charity. He was the only son of John D. Rockefeller, who co-founded the famous Standard Oil company.
John D. Rockefeller Jr. helped create the huge office complex in Midtown Manhattan called Rockefeller Center. This made him one of the biggest landowners in New York City. Later in his life, he became well-known for his amazing charity work. He gave away over $500 million to many different causes, including schools and universities. One of his big projects was helping to rebuild Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. He was also involved in a difficult event called the Ludlow Massacre during a coal miners' strike.
Rockefeller Jr. had six children: Abby, John III, Nelson, Laurance, Winthrop, and David.
Contents
Early Life and Education
John D. Rockefeller Jr. was the fifth and last child of John D. Rockefeller Sr. and Laura Celestia "Cettie" Spelman. His father was a co-founder of Standard Oil. John Jr. grew up in his father's mansion in New York City. He went to a special school set up for him and other children of family friends.
He first planned to go to Yale University. However, he was encouraged to attend Brown University instead. At Brown, he was nicknamed "Johnny Rock" by his friends. He joined music clubs and taught a Bible class. He was also elected president of his junior class.
In 1897, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He studied many social science courses, including a look at Karl Marx's Das Kapital. He also joined a fraternity and was recognized for his excellent grades.
Business Career and Challenges
After graduating from Brown, Rockefeller Jr. started working for his father's business in 1897. He worked at the family office in New York City. He became a director at Standard Oil. He also joined the board of J. P. Morgan's U.S. Steel company. In 1910, he left both companies. He wanted to make sure his charity work was separate from his business interests.
The Ludlow Massacre
In 1913, coal miners went on strike against the Colorado Fuel and Iron (CF&I) company. This event became known as the Colorado Coalfield War. Rockefeller Jr. owned a large part of CF&I and was on its board. In April 1914, a terrible event called the Ludlow Massacre happened. At least 20 people, including women and children, died at a striking miners' camp. This led to more violence between miners and the Colorado National Guard.
Even though he did not order the attack, many blamed Rockefeller Jr. for the violence. They pointed to the poor working conditions and dangers the miners faced. In 1915, he was asked to speak before a government commission. Many critics said he was responsible for the massacre.
Improving Public Image
Rockefeller Jr. was advised by William Lyon Mackenzie King and public relations expert Ivy Lee. Lee told him that the public was upset with the Rockefeller family. He suggested a plan to improve their image. Rockefeller Jr. had to overcome his shyness. He went to Colorado to meet the miners and their families. He looked at their homes and workplaces and listened to their complaints. This was a new approach and got a lot of media attention. It helped to solve the conflict and show a more human side of the Rockefellers. Mackenzie King said this was a turning point for Rockefeller Jr.'s life and helped restore the family's good name.
Building Rockefeller Center
During the Great Depression, Rockefeller Jr. helped fund and build the Rockefeller Center. This is a huge office complex in midtown Manhattan. Because of this, he became one of the largest property owners in New York City. He was important in bringing big companies like GE, NBC, and ExxonMobil to be tenants in the complex.
The family's main office moved to the 56th floor of the 30 Rockefeller Plaza building in 1933. This office was formally known as "Rockefeller Family and Associates."
Banking Interests
In 1921, Rockefeller Jr. received about 10% of the shares of the Equitable Trust Company from his father. This made him the bank's biggest shareholder. Later, in 1930, Equitable joined with Chase National Bank. This made Chase the largest bank in the world at that time. Even though his shares were reduced, he was still the largest shareholder in what was called "the Rockefeller bank." His son David Rockefeller later became the bank's president.
In the late 1920s, Rockefeller founded the Dunbar National Bank in Harlem. This bank helped African-American customers and employed African Americans in many roles. However, the bank closed after only a few years.
Philanthropy and Social Causes
Rockefeller Jr. was famous for his philanthropy, which means giving money to good causes. He gave over $537 million during his lifetime. He created the Sealantic Fund in 1938 to support his favorite causes. Before that, his main charity was the Davison Fund. He was the first president of the Rockefeller Foundation in 1913. He greatly expanded the work of this organization, which his father had started. He also became involved in other groups his father set up, like Rockefeller University.
Supporting Arts and Culture
In the arts, he gave land he owned in Manhattan for the Museum of Modern Art. His wife helped start this museum in 1929.
In 1925, he bought a collection of medieval art for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He also bought land nearby for a new building called The Cloisters. This museum looks like a medieval monastery.
Restoring Colonial Williamsburg
In 1926, Rockefeller Jr. visited the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, an honor society, and had helped pay for an auditorium there. During his visit, he was shown around the city. He then approved plans to begin a huge historical restoration of Colonial Williamsburg in 1927. Many old buildings were restored thanks to his generosity, including the Wren Building at the College of William & Mary.
Helping the United Nations
Through talks with his son Nelson Rockefeller, he bought land along the East River in Manhattan in 1946 for $8.5 million. He then donated this land for the United Nations headquarters. He had earlier supported the League of Nations, which was the UN's predecessor. He even gave money to build a large library for the League in Geneva.
Religious and Social Support
Rockefeller Jr. was a strong supporter of different Christian groups working together. He gave a lot of money to Protestant and Baptist organizations. These included the Riverside Church in New York and the World Council of Churches. He also helped fund research that led to the famous "Middletown studies" about American life.
After his involvement in the Ludlow Massacre, Rockefeller Jr. became a key figure in the new field of industrial relations. He helped create Industrial Relations Counselors (IRC) in 1926. This group aimed to make industrial relations a recognized subject of study at universities like Princeton University.
Overseas Philanthropy
In the 1920s, he also gave a lot of money to help rebuild major buildings in France after World War I. These included the Reims Cathedral, the Château de Fontainebleau, and the Château de Versailles. For his help, France gave him its highest award, the Grand-Croix de la Legion d'honneur, in 1936.
He also funded important early archaeological digs in Luxor, Egypt. He supported the American School of Classical Studies for excavations in Athens, Greece. He also gave money to Lingnan University in China, a hospital in Tokyo, and the library of the University of Tokyo. He also supported the Shakespeare Memorial Endowment in England.
In addition, he provided money to build the Palestine Archaeological Museum in East Jerusalem. This museum, now called the Rockefeller Museum, holds many ancient artifacts. It was also home to many of the Dead Sea Scrolls for a time.
Conservation Efforts
Rockefeller Jr. cared deeply about protecting nature. He bought and donated land for many American National Parks. These included Grand Teton National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Acadia National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Shenandoah National Park. For Acadia National Park, he paid for and designed a large network of carriage roads.
The John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway, which connects Yellowstone National Park to Grand Teton National Park, is named after him. There is also a Rockefeller Memorial in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He also helped save redwood trees. He gave a lot of money to the Save the Redwoods League in the 1920s. This helped buy land that became the Rockefeller Forest in Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
In 1951, he started Sleepy Hollow Restorations. This group managed and operated historic sites he had bought. These included Philipsburg Manor House and Sunnyside, Washington Irving's home. He invested over $12 million to buy and restore these properties. In 1986, Sleepy Hollow Restorations became Historic Hudson Valley. This group also offers tours of the Rockefeller family estate, Kykuit.
A famous saying by him is carved on a tablet at his Rockefeller Center: "I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty."
In 1935, he received an award from The Hundred Year Association of New York. In 1943, he was given the Public Welfare Medal by the National Academy of Sciences.
Family Life
In 1900, Rockefeller Jr. was invited on a trip to Cuba with President William McKinley. On this trip, he met Abigail Greene "Abby" Aldrich. They had first met in 1894 and had been dating for several years.
Rockefeller Jr. married Abby on October 9, 1901. Their wedding was a big social event. It was held at the Aldrich Mansion in Rhode Island. Many important business leaders attended.
The couple had six children: Abby (born 1903), John III (born 1906), Nelson (born 1908), Laurance (born 1910), Winthrop (born 1912), and David (born 1915).
Abby died in 1948. Rockefeller Jr. married again in 1951 to Martha Baird. She was the widow of an old college friend. John D. Rockefeller Jr. passed away on May 11, 1960, at age 86 in Tucson, Arizona. He was buried in the family cemetery in Tarrytown, New York.
His five sons later built a wide network of social connections and power. This was based on the foundations their father and grandfather had created. David became a well-known banker and philanthropist. Abby and John III also became philanthropists. Laurance became a venture capitalist and conservationist. Nelson and Winthrop Rockefeller both became state governors. Nelson later served as Vice President of the United States.
Residences
From 1901 to 1913, Rockefeller Jr. lived at 13 West 54th Street in New York. Later, his main home was a 9-story mansion at 10 West 54th Street. He owned several properties in this area. After he moved out in 1936, these properties were torn down. The land was then given to his wife's Museum of Modern Art. In 1936, he moved into a large 40-room apartment at 740 Park Avenue.
Honors and Legacy
In 1935, he received The Hundred Year Association of New York's Gold Medal Award. This was for his great contributions to New York City. In 1943, he was given the Public Welfare Medal from the National Academy of Sciences.
The John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library at Brown University, completed in 1964, is named in his honor.
See also
In Spanish: John D. Rockefeller Jr. para niños
- Forest Hill, Ohio
- John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library
- John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway
- Rockefeller Brothers Fund
- Rockefeller family
- Rockefeller Foundation
