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Quick Facts
- NAME: David Rockefeller
- OCCUPATION: Business Leader, Philanthropist
- BIRTH DATE: June 12, 1915 (Age: 97)
- EDUCATION: Harvard University, London School of Economics, University of Chicago
- PLACE OF BIRTH: New York, New York
- Full Name: David Rockefeller Sr.
- AKA: David Rockefeller
- ZODIAC SIGN: Gemini
Best Known For
David Rockefeller is an American banker and philanthropist, the youngest of the five sons of John D. Rockefeller Jr.
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The Rockefellers - Full Biography
The Rockefellers have been a driving force in American industry and philanthropy since the 19th century. One of them started standard oil, another collected art and ran for President.
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Play NowDavid Rockefeller. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 07:18, May 23, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/david-rockefeller-9461325.
David Rockefeller. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/david-rockefeller-9461325 [Accessed 23 May 2013].
"David Rockefeller." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 23 2013, 07:18 http://www.biography.com/people/david-rockefeller-9461325.
"David Rockefeller," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/david-rockefeller-9461325 [accessed May 23, 2013].
"David Rockefeller," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/david-rockefeller-9461325 (accessed May 23, 2013).
David Rockefeller [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 23] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/david-rockefeller-9461325.
David Rockefeller, http://www.biography.com/people/david-rockefeller-9461325 (last visited May 23, 2013).
David Rockefeller. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/david-rockefeller-9461325. Accessed May 23, 2013.
Synopsis
The youngest son of John D. Rockefeller Jr., David Rockefeller was born in New York City in 1915. He joined Chase National Bank in 1946, rising in the hierarchy to become senior vice president in 1952, and was key in the merger of Chase National and the Bank of the Manhattan Company, resulting in Chase Manhattan Bank. His specialty became international banking,
Quotes
"I won't live forever, but I hope to be around for a while to enjoy the [donations] I've already made."
and he was a familiar figure to global ministers and heads of state.
Early Years
David Rockefeller was born on June 12, 1915, in Manhattan, New York, where he grew up in the Midtown district. He was the youngest of six children born to John. D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, and the grandson of John D. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Harvard University in 1936, and then completed post-graduate work at Harvard, the London School of Economics and the University of Chicago, where he received a Ph.D. in economics in 1940. After finishing his graduate studies, he worked as secretary to New York City Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia. He also worked briefly as an assistant regional director of the United States Office of Defense, Health and Welfare Service.
Five months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, David Rockefeller enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served in North Africa and France, and had a post as an assistant military attache in Paris. He was discharged in 1945, having earned the rank of captain. For his service, he was awarded with the U.S. Legion of Merit, the U.S. Army commendation Ribbon and the French Legion of Honor.
Chase Manhattan Bank
After returning to the United States, Rockefeller began a storied career in banking. He first joined Chase National Bank in 1946, and rose through the ranks to become a senior vice president in 1952. His work involved expanding Chase's business in Latin America, as well as helping to oversee the 1955 merger of Chase National and the Bank of Manhattan, resulting in what is now known as Chase Manhattan Bank. By 1969, Rockefeller had become CEO of the bank, as well as chairman of its board of directors.
By the time he retired in 1981, David Rockefeller had built a reputation as a global leader in the world of finance, foreign relations and public service.
Philanthropic Pursuits
In the same spirit as his grandfather, David Rockefeller has spent decades engaging in philanthropic pursuits in a variety of areas, including medicine, science and education. In 1940, he served on the board of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. In the mid-1960s, he worked with Detlev Bronk to transform the institute into the Rockefeller University—the first U.S. institution devoted solely to biomedical research.
Rockefeller has also been instrumental in Manhattan's cultural development. Among his efforts in the borough, he served on the Museum of Modern Art's board of directors, and helped develop lower Manhattan while chairman of the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association.
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Generous Donors
View groupThey spent their lives amassing millions—sometimes even billions—then promised to give most of it away. Here are a few of the wealthiest one percent who have promised the majority of their fortunes to philanthropies and charitable organizations. Through their example, maybe more moguls will take up the banners of bigger causes.
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The Rockefeller family
View groupWhile the term "American dynasty" might technically be an oxymoron, it's hard not to notice the similarities between the Rockefeller family and noble lineages that have spanned the globe for centuries. Like royal families have done in other nations, the Rockefellers have had a profound and irrevocable impact on the United States—from the oil and banking industries to property development, to politics and philanthropy—which will continue to resound for generations to come. Beginning with John D. Rockefeller Sr., who founded the Standard Oil Company and became one of the world's richest men, the Rockefeller troupe also includes John D. Rockefeller III, Winthrop Rockefeller, Nelson Rockefeller, Laurance Rockefeller and David Rockefeller.
The Rockefeller family 5 people in this group
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Famous Geminis 529 people in this group
