Nelson Rockefeller

**Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller** (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was an American politician and businessman. A liberal Republican, he was the 41st vice president of the United States from December 1974 to January 1977. Before becoming vice president, he was the 49th governor of New York from 1959 to 1973 and served as assistant secretary of State for American Republic Affairs, as well as under secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.

Before entering politics, he was a businessman who was president and later chair of Rockefeller Center, Inc. He formed the International Basic Economy Corporation in 1947. He served as trustee, treasurer, and president of the Museum of Modern Art and founded the Museum of Primitive Art in 1954.

A grandson of the billionaire John D. Rockefeller and a member of the wealthy Rockefeller family, he was an art collector and served as administrator of the Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, New York City. He was from one of the richest and most powerful families in the United States.

## Political career

He tried three times to gain his party's nomination for president of the United States presidency but lost to the slightly more conservative Vice President and future President Richard Nixon in 1960 and 1968 and very conservative Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona in 1964. He then refused to support Goldwater in the general election. Nixon condemned him and argued that Rockefeller was not a loyal Republican.

Rockefeller was the vice president from 1974 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford. He waged a campaign against future President George H. W. Bush to be appointed to that office and won. He was a member of the Republican Party and the Knights of Pythias.

## Vice presidency (1974–1977)

When Nixon resigned (quit) as president on August 9, 1974, Vice President Ford became the president. On August 20, Ford chose Rockefeller to be the next vice president. Ford had thought about two other people: Donald Rumsfeld, who was the United States Ambassador to NATO, and Bush, who was the chairman of the Republican National Convention (RNC). Bush would later become vice president from 1981 to 1989 and president from 1989 to 1993.

The United States Congress voted to approve Rockefeller to become vice president. On December 10, 1974, the Senate voted 90–7, and on December 19, the House of Representatives voted 287–128. He became vice president on December 19, 1974. That made him the second person to become vice president under the 25th Amendment, the first being Ford himself.

### 1976 election

Ford faced strong opposition when he ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 1976. He had a hard time getting support from more conservative Republicans. He also expected a challenge from a conservative opponent, Ronald Reagan. As a result, Ford decided to choose a different running mate for the election. In November 1975, Rockefeller decided not to run as Ford's running mate in 1976.

Ford was nominated at the 1976 Republican National Convention. Reagan, Goldwater, and other notable conservatives said they would support Ford if he chose a suitable vice presidential nominee. Ford considered several candidates, including William Ruckelshaus and Bob Dole, and eventually chose Dole as his running mate.

Rockefeller campaigned actively for the Republican ticket, but Ford lost narrowly to Jimmy Carter. Rockefeller's term as vice president ended on January 20, 1977, and he was replaced by Walter Mondale.

As of 2020, Ford is the last incumbent president to not have his incumbent vice president as his running mate. Ford later said not choosing Rockefeller was one of his biggest mistakes and "one of the few cowardly things I did in my life."

## Personal life

His paternal grandfather was John D. Rockefeller Sr. His maternal grandfather was United States Senator Nelson Aldrich of Rhode Island. He was the son of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and Abby Aldrich. He was Governor of New York from 1959 to 1973. He was the brother of David Rockefeller, the chairman of Chase Bank; Winthrop, later Governor of Arkansas; John III; and Laurance. He is the uncle of former Senator John D. Rockefeller IV.

## Marriages

He was married twice. His first married Mary Todhunter Clark. After they divorced, he was married to Margaretta Fitler Murphy until his death from a heart attack.

## Other websites

- Rockefeller Archive Center: Nelson Rockefeller  Contains details on the collection of public and private papers available to researchers at the Center.
- The Rocky Roll  An extended portrait by _Time Magazine_ of Nelson campaigning for New York Governor in 1958.
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress biography

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **name**: Nelson Rockefeller
- **image**: Nelson Rockefeller.jpg
- **caption**: Rockefeller in 1975
- **imagesize**: 220px
- **order**: List of Vice Presidents of the United States, 41st
- **office**: Vice President of the United States
- **term start**: December 19, 1974
- **term end**: January 20, 1977
- **president**: Gerald Ford
- **predecessor**: Gerald Ford
- **successor**: Walter Mondale
- **order2**: 49th
- **office2**: Governor of New York
- **term start2**: January 1, 1959
- **term end2**: December 18, 1973
- **lieutenant2**: Malcolm Wilson
- **predecessor2**: W. Averell Harriman
- **successor2**: Malcolm Wilson (governor), Malcolm Wilson
- **order4**: 1st Assistant Secretary of State for American Republic Affairs
- **term start4**: December 20, 1944
- **term end4**: August 17, 1945
- **president4**: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Harry S. Truman
- **predecessor4**: Office Created
- **successor4**: Spruille Braden
- **order3**: 1st United States Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services, Under Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare
- **term start3**: June 11, 1953
- **term end3**: December 22, 1954
- **president3**: Dwight D. Eisenhower
- **predecessor3**: Office Created
- **successor3**: Herold Christian Hunt
- **birthname**: Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller
- **birth place**: Bar Harbor, Maine, U.S.
- **death place**: New York City, U.S.
- **resting place**: Rockefeller Family Cemetery
Sleepy Hollow, New York
- **spouse**: Mary Rockefeller, Mary Todhunter Clark
(m. 1930–1962; divorced)
Happy Rockefeller, Margaretta Large Fitler
(m. 1963–1979; his death)
- **relations**: Rockefeller family
- **party**: Republican Party (United States), Republican Party
- **parents**: John D. Rockefeller, Jr., John Davison Rockefeller, Jr.
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, Abigail Greene Aldrich
- **signature**: Nelson A Rockefeller Signature.svg
- **signature alt**: Cursive signature in ink
- **residence**: New York City
- **alma mater**: Dartmouth College (Bachelor of Arts, A.B.)