Biography john d rockefeller jr pictures

(1874-1960)

Synopsis

Born on January 29, 1874, in Cleveland, Ohio, John D. Rockefeller Jr. was a prominent American philanthropist and heir to the family fortune created by father John D. Rockefeller Sr., founder of Standard Oil. John D. Rockefeller Jr. created Rockefeller University in New York City, the General Education Board and the Rockefeller Foundation in the early 1900s. In funding the construction of Rockefeller Center, John Jr. created an estimated 75,000 jobs. During World War II, he helped establish the United Service Organizations. After the war, he donated land for the U.N. headquarters. He died in Arizona in 1960.

Early Years

Although John D. Rockefeller Sr. and Nelson Rockefeller typically occupy the spotlight of their family legacy, it was John D. Rockefeller Jr. who made the family name synonymous with philanthropy. Born on January 29, 1874, in Cleveland, Ohio, "Junior" grew up alongside three sisters: Alta, Bessie and Edith. His father, John D. Rockefeller Sr., was the nation's first billionaire, yet wealth didn't appeal to John Jr.

Homeschooled until the age of 10, John D. Rockefeller Jr. went on to attend Brown University. After graduating in 1897, he worked for his father at the Standard Oil headquarters in New York City. In the early 1900s, a series of scandals erupted at the company. Disenchanted, in 1910, John Jr. decided to leave the business world behind him in order to pursue philanthropic interests.

Public Life

It wasn't long after he left the company that John D. Rockefeller Jr. found himself embroiled in controversy. More than 2,000 miles away, at the Rockefeller-owned Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, a six-month strike had been raging: An estimated 9,000 coal miners were demanding union recognition, improved hours, wages and housing. The strike, which had begun in September 1913, became violent shortly thereafter, prompting Colorado Governor Elias Ammons to bring in the state National G

American financier and philanthropist (1874–1960)

John Davison Rockefeller Jr. (January 29, 1874 – May 11, 1960) was an American financier and philanthropist. Rockefeller was the fifth child and only son of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller. He was involved in the development of the vast office complex in Midtown Manhattan known as Rockefeller Center, making him one of the largest real estate holders in the city. Towards the end of his life, he was famous for his philanthropy, donating over $500 million to a wide variety of different causes, including educational establishments. Among his projects was the reconstruction of Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. He was widely blamed for having orchestrated the Ludlow Massacre and other offenses during the Colorado Coalfield War. Rockefeller was the father of six children: Abby, John III, Nelson, Laurance, Winthrop, and David.

Early life

John Davison Rockefeller Jr. was born on January 29, 1874, in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the fifth and youngest child of Standard Oil co-founder John Davison Rockefeller Sr. and schoolteacher Laura Celestia "Cettie" Spelman. His four older sisters were Elizabeth (Bessie), Alice (who died an infant), Alta, and Edith. Living in his father's mansion at 4 West 54th Street, he attended Park Avenue Baptist Church at 64th Street (now Central Presbyterian Church) and the Browning School, a tutorial establishment set up for him and other children of associates of the family; it was located in a brownstone owned by the Rockefellers, on West 55th Street. His father John Sr. and uncle William Rockefeller Jr. co-founded Standard Oil together.

Initially, he had intended to go to Yale University but was encouraged by William Rainey Harper, president of the University of Chicago, among others, to enter the Baptist-oriented Brown University instead. Nicknamed "Johnny Rock" by his roommates, he joined both the Glee and th

"I believe that every right implies a responsibility, every opportunity an obligation, every possession a duty." So reads a portion of the credo etched in a granite memorial to John D. Rockefeller, Jr., one of America's preeminent philanthropists.

Born in 1874. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., was the fifth child and only son of John D. Rockefeller, the builder of Standard Oil. The elder Rockefeller became America's first billionaire. After graduating from Brown University in 1897, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., joined his father's business, where he learned that making money held little appeal. After 1910 John D. Rockefeller, Jr., devoted his life to philanthropy. With his father, he participated in the creation of notable philanthropic institutions such as the Rockefeller Institute, the General Education Board, and the Rockefeller Foundation. He was the major contributor to the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a general purpose foundation. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., is probably best remembered for the sponsorship of the construction of the Rockefeller Center in New York City, funding the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg, and donating land in New York City for the United Nations complex.

In the field of conservation, Mr. Rockefeller's contributions to national parks are no less important. He purchased and donated thousands of acres of land to parks using finances or foundation grants. For example. through the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial, he donated $5 million to buy private lands in the Great Smoky Mountains "in the beautiful spirit of my mother." Acadia, Shenandoah, and Grand Teton national parks also received generous donations of land from Mr. Rockefeller. In the 1920s, when commercial loggers threatened to destroy large stands of sugar pines adjacent to Yosemite, he provided more than $1 million to save 15,000 acres of forest. Mr. Rockefeller financed the construction of museums in Mesa Verde, Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone national parks. In 1972 Congress hono

John Davison Rockefeller, Jr. (JDR Jr.) was a philanthropist who gave more than $537 million to educational, religious, cultural, medical, and civic projects. The son of John D. Rockefeller, founder of the Standard Oil Company, and Laura Spelman Rockefeller, he was born on January 29, 1874, in Cleveland, Ohio, and died on May 11, 1960, in Tucson, Arizona. He had four sisters, one of whom died in infancy. In 1897 he graduated with a B.A. degree from Brown University, where he was a member of Alpha Delta Phi and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

On October 9, 1901, he married Abby Greene Aldrich, whose father was Senator Nelson W. Aldrich of Rhode Island. JDR Jr. and Abby had six children: Abby, John D. 3rd, Nelson A., Laurance S., Winthrop, and David. They maintained homes in Manhattan; Pocantico Hills, New York; Williamsburg, Virginia; and Seal Harbor, Maine.

After Abby’s death in 1948, JDR Jr. married Martha Baird Allen on August 15, 1951. Martha was a former concert pianist and the widow of Arthur M. Allen, JDR Jr’s classmate at Brown University and a close friend.

Imbued with a deep sense of stewardship, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. believed that his inherited fortune should be used for the public good. Estimates of his net worth place it at $995 million in 1928, $379.6 million in 1938, and $336.5 million in 1950. Rather than a career in business, Rockefeller devoted his life primarily to philanthropic and civic activities, particularly those that advanced human welfare and international, interfaith, and interracial concepts. JDR Jr. gave large sums to educational organizations, religious causes, hospitals, scientific projects, conservation and parklands, and historic preservation projects. He was responsible for the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, and he donated the land along the East River in Manhattan for the site of the United Nations headquarters.

Family Business

After graduating from Brown, JDR Jr