John D. Rockefeller

## Biography

John Davison Rockefeller (Born July 8th, 1839) is an American politician and farmer who served as the President of the United States from 1877-1885. He previously served as Governor of Sauk from 1847-1851, being elected at age 8, making him the youngest Governor in American History (As Sauk did not implement age limits until 1853). A Liberal-Unionist, Rockefeller is the son of former Governor of Illinois and 2-time Presidential Candidate William Rockefeller. He is a member of the Farmers Alliance.

## Early Life, 1839-1846

Rockefeller was born on July 8th, 1839, at his father's summer home in Richford, New York. The second child of William Rockefeller and Eliza Davison, he had an older sister (Lucy) and 4 younger siblings (William II, Mary, and twins Franklin and Frances). At two months old, he and his family travelled back to Illinois, where Rockefeller moved into the state Governor Mansion in Springfield, Illinois. In April 1840 during a family trip to Chicago, Rockefeller nearly drowned in a small lake next to the path, but was saved by his mother, Eliza. Soon after, Rockefeller contracted Hay Fever which forcing the family to stay a month in the town of Pontiac, Illinois. He eventually recovered and arrived in Chicago in July, 1840, just in time for his first birthday.

During his families 8 month stay in the city, Rockefeller met his uncle Miles Avery Rockefeller, who was just 19 at the time. Miles helped teach the young Rockefeller basic spelling and word, before he was drafted to fight in the ongoing Civil War in September 1840. For the remaining months, he continued his education with his father, the Governor of Illinois, paying for the best private tutors in the city. In February, 1841, however, his father was forced to resign from his position after a major scandal.

### The Rockefeller-William Scandal

William Rockefeller, along with the Lieutenant Governor James William, embezzled 25,000$ each from the state treasury over a period of 2 years, from 1839 to 1841. The crime was unnoticed until William suddenly disappeared, leaving a note of resignation. After his disappearance, the stolen 50,000$ was discovered. William had fled to the Western Territory with his cut of the money. Rockefeller hid his involvement, claiming William had stolen the full 50,000. Eventually, after public pressure from the uncovering, and fearing his involvement could soon be leaked, Rockefeller resigned from the governorship in early 1841.

### Move to the West

   Using the funds he had stolen, in March 1841 the Rockefeller family rented slaves and moved into the Western territory, purchasing 30 acres of land and using said slaves to construct a settlement on the Hochunk Border, for all members of the Rockefeller Family. They called this place "Rockefeller Village". Unfortunately for the Rockefellers, President Calhoun announced the emancipation of slaves in June 1841, meaning they would have to complete the project themselves

In September the settlement was completed. Due to the end of the war, Miles was able to return and settle in the new village, along with every other Rockefeller from William's side of the family. With the help of Miles and a private tutor, John continued his studies. From December 1841 to June 1842, he would learn basic mathematics and how to speak.

In July 1842, the Government of Sauk announced they would be giving away 100 acres of land to every veteran of the Civil War if they moved to the state. Sensing an opportunity for business, William convinced Miles to take the offer. William, Miles, John, and the rest of William's children would move to Sauk, while the rest of the family would remain in Rockefeller Village.

### Arrival in Sauk

In August 1842 the family arrived in Milwaukee, Sauk, on the border of Lake Michigan. On the 100 acre plot of land the family began a farm, known as Rockefeller & Rockefeller Farms. Selling crop to the nearby Milwaukee, between 1842 and 1846 the farm grew another 1300 acres. In 1845, Rockefeller took the summer off from rapid studying and worked in the farm business for 2 months. His brother, Nelson Rockefeller Sr (who was the same age as John) also assisted with Miles manning sales. The young boys served as advertising for the struggling farm, bringing in customers off of the street.

In May 1846, William and Miles hatched a plan to bring more attention to the farm. The Sauk Governorship was up for grabs in the 1846 Midterms, and due to the fact Sauk did not impose age limits at the time, they believed having one of the young children run for Governor of Sauk would bring attention to the shop. Initially, it was decided to make Nelson the official candidate. However, after falling ill in early June, John was instead signed up to run for Governor of Sauk as an Independent Candidate.

## Early Political Career, 1846-1850

### 1846 Sauk Gubernatorial Race

The plan to bring attention to the shop worked. However, the truth of Rockefeller's age was not known outside of the city of Milwaukee. Opposing Rockefeller was State Senator Alexander Ramsey, who won his parties nomination only due to multiple bribes. Well known for being corrupt, the overwhelming majority of Sauk citizens did not wish for Ramsey to become Governor. Many people, oblivious to Rockefeller's age, assumed he was a brother of William Rockefeller, who was still well known as the former Illinois Governor, and supported him over Ramsey. In the final result, Rockefeller held a narrow 8 point lead over Ramsey, and was, against all odds, named Governor of Sauk. The 7-year-old became the youngest Governor in American History.

### Governorship

The young age of the new Governor meant that Lieutenant Governor John Holmes essentially ran the entire state. Corruption flourished in the state legislature, as the young Rockefeller would veto or sign a bill at a suggestion. An impeachment movement was not mounted, due to the ease of using the Governor. In the 1850 Election, Rockefeller lost election in a landslide to Elliot Burke, who, despite being a progressive, trounced Rockefeller in the conservative state of Sauk. In 1853, Burke implemented an 18 year age limit, denying Rockefeller the chance of running in 1854.

## Pre-Representative Life, 1850-1857

After loosing the Gubernatorial election, Rockefeller went back to assisting his father's now flourishing Sauk farming company, which operated numerous locations around the state and held hundreds of farms, all due to support given during Rockefeller's governorship. In 1852, the family sold the company at the very high price of 349,000$ (roughly 13.5$ Million 2022 USD). In their newfound luxurious lifestyle, Rockefeller would continue his studies all throughout his teenage years.

### William Rockefeller's Rise and Fall

His father, William, however, was seeing a political comeback. In 1852, William ran in the 1852 Democratic Convention for Vice President, and received 96 Delegates (however loosing to John Tyler). His high delegacy count gave him the attention he needed to restart his political career. This allowed William to secure a job as US Ambassador to Britain under the Polk administration. He served through the Canadian war, and the fall of Polks popularity. In 1855, partly due to his administration's unpopularity, Polk elected not to seek a second term. This left a whole open in the Democratic Party, a whole William Rockefeller hoped to fill. Running off of his experience from his near 20 year long political career, William managed to win the Democratic Nomination for President in 1856, with 190 delegates on the first ballot, with Caser Shaft as a running mate.

Unfortunately for Rockefeller, the popular former Vice President Abraham Lincoln used his fame and the unpopular Polk to win the election over Rockefeller. Lincoln received 141 electoral votes, to Rockefeller's 85. Paperback John C. Fremont finished with 40.

Despite his loss, William remained popular in the Democratic Party. In 1860, with no real, serious candidate able to take on Lincoln, Rockefeller decided to run once again for the Presidency, winning the 1860 convention too. Initially, it seemed as if Alexander Pope would be Rockefeller's running mate. However, on the second ballot, Pope lost to Charles F. Adams, a Senator from Massachusetts. But despite William's in-party popularity, he would not win the election to Lincoln.

In 1862, while preparing to announce his third bid to the Presidency, William Rockefeller was shot dead by an assassin

The young Rockefeller realized he could use his fathers Presidential bid to help his own future political career. While the constitution says a Representative must be 18 years of age to serve, it allows for 17 year old candidates to run if they turn 18 before being sworn in. Rockefeller, knowing of this fact, wrongfully put his birthday down as March the 1st, making him eligible to run in the 1856 House Elections