Winthrop Rockefeller
Winthrop Rockefeller | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Bernard Gotfryd, 1967 | |
| 37th Governor of Arkansas | |
| In office January 10, 1967 – January 12, 1971 | |
| Lieutenant | Maurice Britt |
| Preceded by | Orval Faubus |
| Succeeded by | Dale Bumpers |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 1, 1912 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 22, 1973 (aged 60) Palm Springs, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Winrock Farms Morrilton, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Children | Winthrop Paul Rockefeller |
| Parent(s) | John Davison Rockefeller Jr. Abigail Greene Aldrich |
| Relatives | See Rockefeller family |
| Education | Yale University |
| Profession | Politician, businessman |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1941–1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | 77th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | |
Winthrop Rockefeller (May 1, 1912 – February 22, 1973) was an American politician and philanthropist. Rockefeller was the fourth son and fifth child of American financier John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. He was one of the grandchildren of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller. As an entrepreneur in Arkansas, he financed many local projects, including a number of new medical clinics in poorer areas, before being elected state governor in 1966, as the first Republican governor of Arkansas since the Reconstruction era. Despite accusations of lacking insight into the concerns of low-income voters, Rockefeller was re-elected in 1968, and went on to complete the integration of Arkansas schools.
In 1968, he was the favorite son of the Arkansas delegation to the 1968 Republican National Convention. It was widely expected that the Arkansas delegates would switch to his brother, New York governor Nelson Rockefeller, on a second ballot. However, Richard Nixon secured the nomination on the first ballot, and the Arkansas delegates switched to Nixon instead.