Quick Facts
- NAME: John Davison Rockefeller, Jr.
- OCCUPATION: Philanthropist
- BIRTH DATE: January 29, 1874
- DEATH DATE: May 11, 1960
- EDUCATION: Brown University
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Cleveland, Ohio
- PLACE OF DEATH: Tuscon, Arizona
Best Known For
Philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. was the only son of John D. Rockefeller and heir to his fortune, who built Rockefeller Center in New York City.
John D. Rockefeller Jr.. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 01:21, Feb 07, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/john-d-rockefeller-jr-9461357
John D. Rockefeller Jr. [Internet]. 2012. http://www.biography.com/people/john-d-rockefeller-jr-9461357, February 07
" John D. Rockefeller Jr.." 2012. Biography.com 07 Feb 2012, 01:21 http://www.biography.com/people/john-d-rockefeller-jr-9461357
' John D. Rockefeller Jr.', Biography.com,(2012) http://www.biography.com/people/john-d-rockefeller-jr-9461357 [accessed Feb 07, 2012]
" John D. Rockefeller Jr.," Biography.com, http://www.biography.com/people/john-d-rockefeller-jr-9461357 (accessed Feb 07, 2012).
John D. Rockefeller Jr. [Internet]. Biography.com; 2012 [cited 2012 Feb 07]. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/john-d-rockefeller-jr-9461357.
John D. Rockefeller Jr., http://www.biography.com/people/john-d-rockefeller-jr-9461357 (last visited Feb 07, 2012).
John D. Rockefeller Jr., http://www.biography.com/people/john-d-rockefeller-jr-9461357 (last visited Feb 07, 2012).
Synopsis
Profile
(born January 29, 1874, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.—died May 11, 1960, Tucson, Arizona) American philanthropist, the only son of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., and heir to the Rockefeller fortune, who built Rockefeller Center in New York City and was instrumental in the decision to locate the United Nations in that city.After graduation from Brown University in 1897, he joined his father in business but never assumed complete management of Standard Oil, eventually choosing to focus his efforts on philanthropy. What business interests he pursued were associated with his father's long-standing opposition to strikes by organized labour; he was one of those blamed for the so-called Ludlow Massacre (April 20, 1914), in which sit-in strikers at the Rockefeller-controlled Colorado Fuel and Iron Company were fired on by militiamen, resulting in 17 deaths. The tragedy was said to have solidified Rockefeller's devotion to humanitarian causes.
In association with his father, he created major philanthropic institutions, including the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research (renamed Rockefeller University) in New York City (1901), the General Education Board (1902), and the Rockefeller Foundation (1913). In funding construction of Rockefeller Center in Manhattan—one of few large, privately funded development projects occurring in the Great Depression—Rockefeller created 75,000 jobs at a time of widespread unemployment in the 1930s. During World War II he helped establish the United Service Organizations (USO), an agency for the aid of members of the U.S. military and their dependents.
After the war, he donated land for the United Nations headquarters, a gift that figured prominently in the decision to locate the world organization in the United States. In 1958 he donated $5 million for the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. His other philanthropic works included restoration of colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, construction of low-rent housing in poor sections of New York City; and donations to the city's Riverside Church and the Museum of Modern Art.
In 1901 Rockefeller married Abby Greene Aldrich (1874–1948), daughter of U.S. Senator Nelson W. Aldrich. As an art collector, she was instrumental in the founding of the Museum of Modern Art. They had six children—a daughter, Abby (1903–76), and five sons: John D. III, Nelson A., Laurance S., Winthrop, and David.
Copyright © 1994-2011 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. For more information visit Britannica.com
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