Winthrop Rockefeller

Winthrop Rockefeller (born May 1, 1912 in New York City , † February 22, 1973 in Arkansas ) was an American politician . He was chairman of the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission from 1955 to 1964 and became chairman of the Republicans in Arkansas in 1961 . From 1967 to 1971 he was governor of Arkansas. In 1968 his fortune was valued at $ 300 million by the Fortune . The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, Arkansas Funding Project, had an asset of $ 143 million in 2001.

Early years

Winthrop Rockefeller came from one of the richest families of his time. He was the son of John D. Rockefeller II and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller and a grandson of the legendary oil magnate John D. Rockefeller . His brother Nelson Rockefeller was Governor of New York and Vice President of the United States under President Gerald Ford (1974 to 1977). His nephew Jay Rockefeller was governor of West Virginia between 1977 and 1985 and then became a Democrat in the US Senate .

Rockefeller attended Yale University between 1931 and 1934 . During the Second World War he was used as a soldier in the US Army in the Pacific region. He made it to the Colonel . In 1953 he moved to Arkansas and built Winrock Farms there. Purebred cattle were raised there and rice and soybeans were grown.

Political rise

In 1955 he became chairman of the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission. He managed to successfully advertise Arkansas as an industrial location. Like all Rockefellers, with the exception of his nephew in West Virginia, he was a member of the Republican Party. In 1964 he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention . In the same year he first applied for the office of governor of Arkansas. But he lost to Orval Faubus . In 1966, only about 11% of the electorate in Arkansas considered themselves Republicans. Nevertheless, Rockefeller ran again for gubernatorial election with a reform program. Many Democratic supporters preferred such a reform to another term of their own candidate, and Winthrop Rockefeller was elected the first Republican governor of Arkansas since 1874.

Arkansas Governor

Rockefeller took up his new post on January 10, 1967. After a successful re-election in 1968, he could remain in office until January 12, 1971. During these four years he campaigned for the civil rights movement. He initiated administrative reform and promoted cultural development. Education was also promoted during his tenure. Another focus of his reign was improving conditions in the state's penal institutions. During his tenure, racial integration in Arkansas, which had been hotly controversial only a few years earlier, took place without any significant disruption. Rockefeller also appointed some African Americans to important government bodies. A reform of the banking system was also initiated in his years. In 1970 the governor applied for a third term. This time he was defeated by his Democratic challenger Dale Bumpers . So he had to leave office in January 1971.

Further life

Winthrop Rockefeller was not to survive long as governor. In September 1972 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, from which he died on February 22, 1973.

His son Winthrop (1948-2006) was Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas under Governor Mike Huckabee from 1996 until his death .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Rockefeller, Winthrop
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	May 1, 1912
PLACE OF BIRTH	New York City
DATE OF DEATH	February 22, 1973
Place of death	Arkansas