The Rockefellers

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John D. Rockefeller on Making Money

John D. Rockefeller

John D. Rockefeller on making money : advice and words of wisdom on building and sharing wealth

John D. Rockefeller is considered to be the wealthiest man to have ever lived, after adjusting for inflation. An American businessman who made his wealth as a cofounder and leading figure of the Standard Oil Company, he also had a pivotal role in creating our modern system of philanthropy. Collected in John D. Rockefeller on Making Money are the words from the man himself, offering advice on how to successfully start and manage a booming business, as well as the most efficient ways to preserve your wealth once you have acquired it.Included are John D. Rockefeller’s thoughts on the most sage and conscientious manner of distributing and sharing your wealth when your wealth is overflowing. Finally, get a glimpse into Rockefeller’s life with the inclusion of some of his most personal correspondence.
Nelson Rockefeller's Picassos

Cynthia B. Altman and E. Luanne McKinnon

Cynthia B. Altman, E. Luanne McKinnon. Nelson Rockefeller's Picassos: tapestries commissioned for Kykuit

This publication explores the innovative and historic collaboration between one of the twentieth century's greatest art patrons and one of its most influential artists. Between 1955 and 1975, New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller (1908-1979) commissioned or acquired nineteen tapestries adapted from iconic paintings by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). In consultation with the artist himself, the tapestries were woven entirely by hand by Jacqueline de la Baume Dürrback in Southern France. Many of these tapestries may now be enjoyed by the public as part of the collection at Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate administered by the National Trust.

See also San Antonio Museum of Art
Oreos and Dubonnet : Remembering Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller

Joseph H. Boyd and Charles R. Holcomb

Joseph H. Boyd, Charles R. Holcomb. Oreos and Dubonnet: Remembering Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller

A unique figure and an outsized personality, Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was a man whose character, personal style, and (of course) wealth shaped both his goals and how he pursued them. Although many stories about Rockefeller have been published over the years, many more remain to be told, and in Oreos and Dubonnet, Rockefeller’s former advance man and personal assistant Joseph H. Boyd Jr. and former political reporter Charles R. Holcomb bring together scores of behind-the-scenes anecdotes, accounts, and observations from a wide variety of people who worked with and for Rockefeller in various circumstances. Some of them (and even the title itself, which refers to the two things that Rockefeller asked to have in his hotel room at every campaign stop) add amusing or telling detail to the mosaic of this complex and creative man. Others illustrate the personal approaches or techniques he relied on to persuade, cajole, or otherwise get his way in the rough-and-tumble world of gubernatorial and presidential politics. And all of them add to our understanding of one of New York’s most lively and influential governors. --SUNY Press
Being a Rockefeller, Becoming Myself: A Memoir

Eileen Rockefeller

Eileen Rockefeller. Being a Rockefeller, becoming myself: A memoir

A pioneering philanthropist and daughter of American royalty reveals what it was like to grow up in one of the world’s most famous families. The great-granddaughter of John D. Rockefeller, Eileen Rockefeller learned in childhood that while wealth and fame could open any door, they could not buy a feeling of personal worth. The privileges of having servants and lavish summer homes were offset by her parents’ thoughtful yet firm lessons in social obligation, at times by her mother’s dark depressions and mercurial moods, and the competition for attention among her siblings. In adulthood, Rockefeller has yearned to be seen not as an icon but as a woman and mother with a normal life, and like all of us, she had to learn to find her own way. Being a Rockefeller, Becoming Myself is an affirmation of how family shapes our identity and the ways we contribute to the larger family of life, regardless of our origins. -- Google Books review
On His Own Terms: A Life of Nelson Rockefeller

Richard Norton Smith

Richard Norton Smith. On his own terms: a life of Nelson Rockefeller

The definitive life of one of the most complex and compelling figures of the twentieth century, this biography draws on thousands of newly available documents and interviews, including Rockefeller's own unpublished reminiscences. Grandson of oil magnate John D. Rockefeller, Nelson coveted the White House from childhood. Before he was thirty he had helped his father develop Rockefeller Center and his mother establish the Museum of Modern Art. At 32 he was Franklin Roosevelt's wartime coordinator for Latin America. As New York's four-term governor he set national standards in education, the environment, and urban policy. The charismatic face of liberal Republicanism, Rockefeller championed civil rights and health insurance for all. Three times he sought the presidency--arguably in the wrong party. At the Republican National Convention in San Francisco in 1964, locked in an epic battle with Barry Goldwater, Rockefeller denounced extremist elements in the GOP, a moment that changed the party forever. But he could not wrest the nomination from the Arizona conservative, or from Richard Nixon four years later. In the end, he had to settle for two dispiriting years as vice president under Gerald Ford. Here, historian Richard Norton Smith re-creates Rockefeller's improbable rise to the governor's mansion, his politically disastrous divorce and remarriage, and his often surprising relationships with presidents and political leaders from FDR to Henry Kissinger. From the deadly 1971 prison uprising at Attica and unceasing battles with New York City mayor John Lindsay to his son's unsolved disappearance, the punitive drug laws that bear his name, and the much-gossiped-about circumstances of his death, Nelson Rockefeller's was a life of astonishing color, range, and relevance.--Random House reivew
Mr. Rockefeller's Roads

Ann Rockefeller Roberts

Ann Rockefeller Roberts. Mr. Rockefeller's roads: the story behind Acadia's carriage roads

The beautiful carriage roads of Mount Desert Island fit so perfectly into the land it seems as though they have always been there. Actually, they are the result of decades of planning and painstaking effort on the part of philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and were built by local islanders over a 27-year period. Access by cars is not permitted, so the trails remain a boon to walkers, horseback riders, bicyclists, and cross-country skiers.This second edition also includes an interview with David Rockefeller, son of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and an exploration of the history of the roads since the publication of the first edition in 1990. Additional archival photographs and new color photographs of the roads are also included. -- Google Books review
The Oil Prince's Legacy: Rockefeller Philanthropy in China

Mary Brown Bullock

Mary Brown Bullock. The oil prince's legacy: Rockefeller philanthropy in China

The Oil Prince's Legacy traces Rockefeller philanthropy in China from the nineteenth century to today. Family diaries, letters, interviews in China, and institutional archival records are used to tell a compelling story about successive Rockefeller generations and U.S.-China cultural relations. This book describes how Rockefeller philanthropy came to focus on elite science and medicine and ensured their ongoing importance in the American-Chinese relationship. That importance is still seen today in the ties of the two countries in natural and social sciences, the humanities, economics, and higher education. The Rockefeller family's involvement with China continues in the fourth and fifth generations, even as Rockefeller philanthropy is reshaped in response to China's rise as a global power. Understanding the origin, evolution, Cold War interregnum, and post-Mao renewal of Rockefeller philanthropy brings new clarity to the nature and tenacity of this ongoing bilateral relationship.-- Stanford University Press
John D. Rockefeller: Entrepreneur & Philanthropist

Susan E. Hamen

Susan E. Hamen. John D. Rockefeller: entrepreneur & philanthropist

Series: Essential lives

This title examines the remarkable life of John D. Rockefeller. Readers will learn about Rockefeller’s family background, childhood, education, groundbreaking work in the American oil industry, and legacy of philanthropy. Color photos and informative sidebars accompany easy-to-read, compelling text. Features include a table of contents, timeline, facts, additional resources, Web sites, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index. Essential Lives is a series in Essential Library, an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company. -- Google Books review
America's Medicis: the Rockefellers and Their Astonishing Cultural Legacy

Suzanne Loebl

Suzzane Loebl. America's Medicis: the Rockefellers and their astonishing cultural legacy

Loebl (America's Art Museums) chronicles the collecting and funding exploits of oil heir John D. Rockefeller Jr.; his wife, Abby; and their children in this placid, appreciative study of "America's greatest arts patrons." Their imprint on 20th-century art was indelible—Abby cofounded New York's Museum of Modern Art—but the author surveys a vast set of initiatives underwritten by the family, including the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute Museum, Colonial Williamsburg, influential collections and museums of medieval Mexican, African, and American folk art. There were also grand houses and parks, and architectural gems like New York's Rockefeller Center and Riverside Church. Loebl generally applauds Rockefeller tastes, downplays the dynamic of plutocratic vanity, and shrugs off urbanist criticisms of the Rockefeller-led Lincoln Center. Aside from the brouhaha over Diego Rivera's Communist-inflected Rockefeller Center mural, with images of a saintly Lenin and wealthy socialites wreathed in syphilis germs, there's not much excitement. Loebl's interest is less in personalities than in the art and architecture, which she describes in rapturous detail accompanied by lavish photos that make the book feel like a gracefully written but staid gift shop catalogue. 16 pages of color photos, 48 black&white photos. -- Publishers Weekly review
The House the Rockefellers Built

Robert Dalzell and Lee Baldwin Datzell

Robert F. Dalzell and Lee Baldwin Dalzell. The house the Rockefellers built : a tale of money, taste, and power in twentieth-century America

Journeys behind the doors of Kykuit, the home to three generations of the Rockefeller family, examining the architecture, furnishings, art, and gardens of the country estate and profiling the members of the Rockefeller clan who lived there.
A Passion for Asia: The Rockefeller Legacy

Asia Society

A passion for Asia: the Rockefeller legacy: a publication in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Asia Society.

This sumptuous volume published by the Asia Society and Hudson Hills Press recounts how the mission of the Asia Society was born out of the Rockefeller family's interest in and involvement with Asia, and explains how the commitment to that mission has deepened over the past 50 years. In addition to an essay on the Rockefeller family's century-long engagement with Asia, the text includes essays by Rockefeller family members, the curator of the family's collection, several former presidents and the current president of the Asia Society. The book contains 117 color plates of objects in the collection, and color and black&white photos that help tell the story.
Forest Hill: The Rockefeller Estate

Sharon E. Gregor

Sharon E. Gregor. Forest Hill: the Rockefeller estate

Series: Images of America

John D. Rockefeller's Cleveland roots stretched across the oil-drenched banks and murky flats of Kingsbury Run in Cleveland and ended in the wooded sanctuary at Forest Hill. Six miles east of Public Square, Forest Hill was the Rockefeller family's country estate and summer home for four decades. It had formal gardens, greenhouses, a lake and lily pond, a golf course, a horse track, and acres of farmland. In the early 1900s, tourists and local residents rode the streetcar out Millionaires' Row to East Cleveland, where they peered through the imposing iron gates scrolled with an R to peek at the gatekeeper's lodge, the manicured lawns, and the road that led to the mansion atop the hill. Unfortunately, in 1917, Forest Hill burned to the ground. Because so many records, mementos, and photographs perished, the estate remains as shrouded in secrecy today as it did during its lifetime. Forest Hill: The Rockefeller Estate unveils the story of the estate, how it evolved and changed over the years, and how its legacy continues. -- Google Books
Winthrop Rockefeller, Philanhropist: A Life of Change

John L. Ward

John L. Ward. Winthrop Rockefeller, philanthropist: a life of change

As grandson of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller Sr. and son of philanthropist John D. Jr., Winthrop Rockefeller was born into one of the most affluent and influential families in the world. But he was a nonconformist and often felt isolated from the rest of his family. Still, he amazed many when he left the New York elite for a farm in rural Arkansas, where he would ultimately serve two terms as governor and create a philanthropic legacy all his own. In Winthrop Rockefeller, Philanthropist, John L. Ward draws from his years as Rockefeller's speech writer and campaign advisor to create a remarkably readable and comprehensive narrative. Ward provides valuable insights into Rockefeller's complicated relationships with his father and brothers and convincingly argues that Rockefeller's extraordinarily innovative approach to philanthropy changed the way Arkansas was viewed by its citizens and by the rest of the world. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in twentieth-century philanthropy. -- Google Books review
Memoirs

David Rockefeller

David Rockefeller. Memoirs

Born into one of the wealthiest families in America—he was the youngest son of Standard Oil scion John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and the celebrated patron of modern art Abby Aldrich Rockefeller—David Rockefeller has carried his birthright into a distinguished life of his own. His dealings with world leaders from Zhou Enlai and Mikhail Gorbachev to Anwar Sadat and Ariel Sharon, his service to every American president since Eisenhower, his remarkable world travels and personal dedication to his home city of New York—here, the ﬁrst time a Rockefeller has told his own story, is an account of a truly rich life. --- Google Books review
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

Ron Chernov

Ron Chernov. Titan: the life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

Random House review
The Rockefeller Family Home Kykuit

Ann Rockefeller Roberts

Ann Rockefeller Roberts. The Rockefeller family home KyKuit

A portrait of the principal home of John D Rockefeller and his descendents. The history of the estate is recounted by the daughter of Governor Rockefeller and illustrated with photographs taken by the granddaughter of Nelson Rockefeller. The photographs cover both the public and private areas of the estate along with architectural plans.
The Rockefeller Women

Clarice Stasz

Clarice Stasz. The Rockefeller women: an intimate portrait of an American dynasty
Dear Father/Dear Son: Correspondence of John D. Rockefeller and John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Joseph W. Ernst

Dear father/dear son : correspondence of John D. Rockefeller and John D. Rockefeller, Jr./ edited by Joseph W. Ernst

A collection of previously unpublished letters between the Rockefeller generations, tracing the history of the transfer of the family's fortune over the course of 50 years. The correspondence sheds light on the family's values that led to the conception of the Rockefeller Foundation, the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, the restoration of colonial Williamsburg, and other philanthropic projects. -- Book News Inc.
Masterpieces from the David and Peggy Rockefeller Collection : Manet to Picasso

Museum of Modern Art

Masterpieces from the David and Peggy Rockefeller collection : Manet to Picasso. [Exhibition Masterpieces from the David and Peggy Rockefeller collection: Manet to Picasso at The Museum of Modern Art New York, June 9 - September 6, 1994].

This magnificent treasury showcases 21 paintings--by such masters as Renoir, Monet, and Seurat--given to the Museum of Modern Art in New York by David and Peggy Rockefeller. Reproduced in full color, the works provide a fresh look at the early flowering of the modern spirit in painting. Kirk Varnedoe presents an illuminating commentary on each painting.

See also MoMA
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller: The Woman in the Family

Bernice Kert

Bernice Kert. Abby Aldrich Rockefeller: the woman in the family

The author of Hemingway's Women , which offered new insights into the sources of that famously macho writer's creativity, once again illuminates the impact of a powerful female on American culture and society. Daughter of influential U.S. Senator Nelson Aldrich and wife of industrialist John D. Rockefeller Jr., Abby Aldrich Rockefeller (1874-1948) tactfully managed to fulfill her own interests and abilities while also satisfying the demands of a difficult husband who adored her and resented anything (including their children) that diverted her attention from him. A pioneering art collector, she was the driving force behind the founding of Manhattan's Museum of Modern Art and encouraged a new appreciation of American folk art through her gifts to Colonial Williamsburg, the 18th-century Virginia town restored with her husband's money. She also nudged the notoriously conservative Rockefeller family towards broader-based philanthropy and raised her six children--Babs, John 3rd, Nelson, Laurance, Winthrop and David--with a commitment to public service that the siblings still honor. In this elegantly written, carefully researched and psychologically astute biography, Abby Rockefeller emerges as a loveable and intelligent woman who wielded her great privilege to a variety of socially beneficial ends.-- Publishers Weekly review