Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-11-11
ROCKEFELLER.
a Personal Description of the Stands
ard Oil King.
New York Star.l


Mr.. Rockefeller in size is little above the
medium, being neither thick-set nor spare, a,
blonde of the quiet order, wearing no whis-
kers and having a light mustache. He is
peculiar-loolzing man in one respect, in that
his eye says more than his face, and neither
tells anything that their possessor does not
want known. He wears very quiet man
ner, is very courteous to everybody with
whom ne comes in contact. Long before his
present wealth was obtained, or even dreamed
OF, he was married to Miss Lucy Spellman, a
teacher in the Cleveland public schools, and
woman of high culture, beautiful face and
engaging manner. She was a daughter of
II. B.'Spellman, a temperance worker of no
little renown some years ago, and closely
identified with the late William E. Dodge, of
New York, in many good works. Mr.. and
Mrs. Rockefeller have been blessed with
three daughters and one son, ranging from
e to Z years of age.
The greater part of the year is spent in New
York, where quarters are had at the Buck
ingham hotel But Mr.. Rockefeller always
looks upon Cleveland as his home His city
house, where his children were born, and in
which many years of his earlier married life
were SPENT is situated on Euclid avenue, at
the corner of Cas- avenue, and is always kept
open, no matter where the family may be.
1t is not as elegant as the residences of many
men less rich, but all its appointments are
perfect and kept in an air of home comfort
that many more gorgeous mansions do not
possess.
The Rockefellers are not, and never were,
society people in the social meaning of that
term They go out little, but i'll their home on
the hills they entertain great deal of COM
pany of their own choosing. Toward such
they extend hospitality of the most quiet
and yet most attractive character, making
each guest feel at home and not oveIpower-
ing him with ostentation. Although there
are twenty-five servants about the place,
Mrs. Rockefeller is the first one to meet the
guest at the door: and while every want is
met and every convenience IS at hand, the
small army OF twenty-five do not seem 90
truded at one nor thrown at him with an
overpoweriug sense of their presence.
Mr.. Roclfeiior is u member OF the Second
Baptist church, located on Euclid avenue, and
presided over by minister with sensational
tendencies. He is superintendent of the Sun
day school, as he has been for many years,
and is always present when within the city.
AIRS. Rockefeller is also in charge CT the infant
department. Together they are two of the
stanch pillars Of tie church, and whenever
anything is 70 be done for the Baptist denonl-
iuation in any part of the country the presi-
dent OF the Standard is the first man called
upon. He is one of the trustees of the
Women's Christian Temperance union that is
making the present TEMPERANCE fight in Ohio.
and has furnished as much money toward the
campaign as any living man. But he is
thorough business in his donations, and goes
on theory of his own. He does not give to
everything that comes along, nor just to get
rid of an applicant He asks close questions
and looks into the merits Of each case.
This is the social and home-life side Of the
Standard prince lis business side is of an
other color. When he matches his skill in the
market against that of another man or COM
bination of men, he is relentless, cold and de-
termined. His success has come through the
buying out, wearing out or crushing out OF
competitors, but the claim is set up by his
friends that he never moved against man
with purpose of war until he had first Of
fered to take that mans business and property
, Off his hands at fair and even generous val
uation.
Mr.. Rockefeller has kept himself away
from the public as much as possible. He
takes no part in politics, and his name is never
seen among the delegates to any convention
or in the list of honorary vice presidents of a
political mass meeting. He keeps his doors
closed to interviewers and reporters and never
goes into print to explain or answer any
thing. He is seldom seen on the business
streets, and his face is known to a smaller
number of Cleveland people than that of any
man whose prominence in wealth or COM
mercial activity equals his own.