Early Life and Family

Nelson Rockefeller was an American politician, businessman, and philanthropist who served as the 41st Vice president of the United States and as the 49th governor of New York.

Birth and Family Background

Nelson Rockefeller was born on July 8, 1908 in Maine. Named after his maternal grandfather, he was the second son and third child of financier and philanthropist John Davison Rockefeller Jr. and philanthropist and socialite Abigail “Abby” Aldrich.

Childhood and Education

Rockefeller grew up in his family homes in New York City and in a summer home in Seal Harbor, Maine. As a child, he demonstrated leadership qualities in him, especially with the way he led his brothers.

Academic Struggles

Even with this potential, Rockefeller struggled academically. Rockefeller received his elementary, middle, and high school education at the Lincoln School in Manhattan, an experimental school administered by Teachers College of Columbia University and funded by the Rockefeller family.

College Education

Rockefeller attended Dartmouth College, where he graduated with a degree in economics before joining his family’s business.

Political Career

Rockefeller began his career in politics in 1940 as the coordinator of Inter-American affairs under President Franklin D. Roosevelt before serving as the Assistant Secretary of State for American republic affairs. He was elected Governor of New York in 1958 and was reelected another three times.

Presidential Campaigns and Vice Presidency

Rockefeller sought the republican nomination for president four times but was unsuccessful each time. He was appointed Vice President by President Gerald Ford in 1974 after Richard Nixon resigned due to the Watergate scandal. He was the second Vice President to be appointed under the 25th Amendment after President Ford himself. He did not run for reelection in 1976 and retired from public office two years later in 1977.

Personal Life and Marriage

Rockefeller married Mary Todhunter Clark in 1930. They had five children. He sadly passed away two years later in 1979 at the age of 70.