Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller

Rockefeller, Nelson Aldrich 

Born July 8, 1908, in Bar Harbor, Me.; died Jan. 26, 1979, in New York. US politician and government figure. Republican.

Rockefeller’s father, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., was the son of the founder of the Rockefeller dynasty of financial magnates. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Nelson Rockefeller was active in the family’s oil companies and banks in the 1930’s and 1940’s. He held a number of responsible government posts, including several in US foreign policy. From 1940 to 1944 he was coordinator of inter-American affairs; in 1944–45, assistant secretary of state for American republic affairs; in 1951–52, chairman of the International Development Advisory Board; and in 1954–55, special assistant to President Eisenhower on foreign policy.

From 1959 to 1973, Rockefeller was governor of New York State. In the USA he was considered a member of the moderate liberal wing of the Republican Party. From December 1974 to January 1977 he was vice-president of the USA.