Nelson Rockefeller

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Image:N rockefeller.jpg
Order:41st Vice President
Term of Office:December 19, 1974
- January 20, 1977
Preceded by:Gerald Ford
Succeeded by:Walter Mondale
Date of BirthJuly 8, 1908
Place of Birth:Bar Harbor, Maine
Date of Death:January 26, 1979
Wife:Margaretta "Happy" Rockefeller
Profession:Governor of New York
Political Party:Republican
President:Gerald Ford

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Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), was an American politician, philanthropist and businessman, and was Governor of New York from 1959 to 1973, the 41st Vice President of the United States of America from December 19, 1974 to January 20, 1977, and a leader of the liberal and moderate wings of the Republican Party.

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Early years

"Rocky," as he was called, was born in Bar Harbor, Maine. A member of the prominent Rockefeller family, he was the son of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and the grandson of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller and United States Senator Nelson W. Aldrich of Rhode Island, for whom he was named. He was the leader of his brothers John, Laurance, Winthrop, and David. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1930, where he was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity, the Dartmouth Glee Club, and the Casque & Gauntlet Society.

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Political career

Rockefeller worked for a time in several family-run businesses and philanthropies before entering public service. He became an Assistant Secretary of State during World War II, where he was Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, an anti-Nazi alliance for Central and South America. After the war, he headed the International Development Advisory Board, part of Harry S. Truman Point Four Program.

The election of fellow Republican Dwight Eisenhower to the Presidency saw Rockefeller appointed first as chair of the President's Advisory Committee on Government Organization and later as an undersecretary in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.


Image:Rockefeller and Johnson.jpg

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Governor of New York

Rockefeller left federal service in 1956 to concentrate on New York state politics, where he served in various capacities. He was elected governor by over 600,000 votes, defeating incumbent governor and fellow multi-millionaire W. Averell Harriman, even though 1958 was a banner year for Democrats elsewhere in the nation.

Rockefeller served as governor of New York from 1959 to 1973 (elected to four terms, he served three and a half). During part of this time, from 1967 to 1971, his younger brother and fellow Republican Winthrop was simultaneously serving as governor of Arkansas, a development unparalled in U.S. history. As governor of New York, he successfully secured the passage of strict laws against the possession and/or sale of drugs which many have come to describe as harsh and even draconian. Whether the laws have the effect of actually reducing drug use in New York State is debated. These laws — which became known as the "Rockefeller drug laws" — took effect in 1973 and are still on the books, and then ranked among the toughest in the United States: the possession of four ounces or more of such drugs as heroin and cocaine — or the sale of two ounces or more of the same substances — being punishable by a sentence of up to life imprisonment. These laws have come under strong criticism from many circles, especially over the last decade as too inflexible, too ineffective, and too expensive to enforce, but few politicians have demonstrated the political will to take the lead toward their modification or repeal out of fear of being castigated by potential future opponents as "soft on drugs". Nonetheless, Rockefeller was still considered one of the leaders of the moderate wing of the Republican Party, and is hailed as an example of one of the chief figures of the "1960s and 1970s Republican" movement, when most state Republican organizations were dominated by social moderates. Compared to other Republicans, Rockefeller was a liberal in domestic policies such as spending and civil rights, and Republicans who hold views similar to his are often referred to as "Rockefeller Republicans". Indeed, a hard core of conservative New York Republicans viewed him as being so socially liberal that they bolted the state Republican organization and formed the Conservative Party.

On September 9, 1971, after four days of riots, Rockefeller gave the order for 1,000 New York State Police troopers and National Guardsmen to storm the Attica Prison. Over 40 people died, including 11 of the 38 hostages (most of whom were prison guards), the largest loss of life in armed conflict between groups of Americans since the Civil War. The majority of deaths were caused by the gunfire of the National Guard and State Police. The prisoners had been demanding better living conditions, showers, education, and vocational training. Opponents blamed Rockerfeller for these deaths, some even calling for his resignation, while his supporters, including many conservatives who had often vocally differed with him in the past, defended his actions as being necessary to the preservation of law and order.

Rockefeller engaged in massive building endeavors that left a profound mark on New York State, so much so that many of his detractors claimed that he had an "edifice complex." He was the driving force in turning the State University of New York into the largest system of public higher education in the United States. He demanded the imposition of tuition at the New York city colleges in return for confering university status on them. He also led in the creation of many major highways (such as the Long Island Expressway, the Southern Tier, the Adirondack, and Interstate 81) which vastly improved road transportation in New York State. To create more low-income housing, Rockefeller created the unprecedented-in-its-power New York State Urban Development Corporation (UDC), which could override local zoning, condemn property, and create creative financing schemes to carry out desired development. (UDC is now called the Empire State Development Corporation, which forms a unit, along with the formerly independent Job Development Authority, of Empire State Development.)

Rockefeller's massive construction programs — not just the aforementioned, but others such as the US$2 billion Albany South Mall (later renamed the Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza, a vast campus of government sky-scrapers and plazas punctuated by an egg-shaped arts center, together the most expensive project that had ever been undertaken by any U.S. state government) — and his generous pension programs for many public workers in the state (firefighers, many police officers, sanitation workers, and corrections officers), and highest-in-the-nation minimum wage that he was able to push through the legislature (or carry out through some existing public-benefit authority such as the UDC) greatly drove up costs and debt in the state. Public-benefit authorities (some 230 of them, like UDC, were brought into existence by Rockefeller) were often used to issue bonds in order to avoid the requirement of a vote of the people for the issuance of a bond; such authority-issued bonds bore higher interest than if they had been issued directly by the state. The state budget went from US$2.04 billion in 1959-60 (Rockefeller's first full fiscal year in office) to US$8.8 billion in 1973-74 (at the end of Rockefeller's time in office). This occurred despite a state economy that was in significant decline in some areas; whether Rockerfeller's spending practices contributed to this decline or prevented it from being far worse than it was is a subject of debate, the ultimate conclusion being drawn usually being dependant upon the observer's political viewpoint.

Rockefeller also "reformed" the governance of New York City's transportation system. He bankrupted the New York City Transit Authority, then created the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 1965, which merged the New York City subway system with the publicly-owned Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority and the Long Island Rail Road and Metro North Railroad, which were purchased by the state from private owners in a massive public bailout of bankrupt railroads. In taking over control of the Triborough Authority, Rockefeller overcame Robert Moses, who controlled several of New York state's public infrastructure authorities. Under the New York MTA, toll revenue collected from the bridges and tunnels, which had previously been used to build more bridges, tunnels, and highways, were shifted to support public transport operations, thus shifting costs from general state funds to the motorist.

Rockefeller, for all his wealth and social position, seemed affable and approachable. He had a good relationship with the press, which generally turned a blind eye to his frequent absences from Albany in favor of the Bahamas. Often, while many New Yorkers were shoveling snow, Rockefeller would appear to be mysteriously tanned.

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Presidential campaigns

Rockefeller's ambition was the Presidency; he spent millions in attempts to win the Republican primaries in 1960, 1964, and 1968. His bid in 1960 was ended early when then-Vice President Richard Nixon surged ahead in the polls; after quitting the campaign Rockefeller backed Nixon enthusiastically, and concentrated his efforts on introducing more moderate stances into Nixon's platform.

Rockefeller was considered the front-runner for the 1964 campaign against the more conservative Barry Goldwater of Arizona (Nixon had declined to run after losing to Pat Brown in the 1962 California gubernatorial election). However, Rockefeller's divorce and quick remarriage to a woman (who had until then been married to someone else and had served as a Rockerfeller housekeeper) nearly 20 years his junior offended many, and no major American party had ever nominated a divorced person for President to that point in history (this precedent eventually being overcome by Ronald Reagan). After polls predicted Rockefeller would win the California primary, he lost by a slim margin and dropped out of the race, endorsing Goldwater (but more hesitantly than he had previously supported Nixon). (Many of Rockefeller's supporters then coalesced behind an "anybody but Goldwater" movement led by Pennsylvania governor William Scranton, but this was defeated by the conservative tide rising in the Republican Party in 1964.)

Rockefeller lost again to a resurgent Nixon in 1968, unable to overcome Nixon's superior organization and support by most state Republican Party mechanisms outside of New York and Nixon's apparent conversion to a moderate conservatism, making him acceptable to many of the Goldwater activists of four years earlier without making him appear to be unelectable on a national basis as Goldwater had proved to be. The 1968 race proved to be Rockerfeller's last bid for national office. Even though by the time of the 1968 Republican National Convention Nixon's nomination seemed to be a foregone conclusion, some of the delegates he had won during the campaign nonetheless voted for him. A movement in the Arkansas delegation to back Winthrop Rockefeller as a "favorite son" candidate led to their becoming the only brothers in U.S. history to receive votes for President at the same major-party convention.

Rockefeller resigned as governor in 1973 in what was rumored at the time to be a move toward a fourth bid for the presidency, the rationale supposedly being that this would free him to devote all of his time to his candidacy rather than being forced to divide his efforts between running for President and serving as governor as he had previously been forced to do; however this never materialized. Some analysts speculated that his appointment to the Vice Presidency by Gerald Ford was calculated to forestall a Rockefeller presidential campaign in 1976.

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Vice President of the United States

Image:Rockefellergivesfinger.jpg Following the resignation of President Richard Nixon, successor Gerald Ford nominated Rockefeller to serve as the 41st Vice President of the United States. Rockefeller is the last governor to date to have served as Vice President.

Rockefeller underwent a lengthy series of Congressional hearings but ultimately was confirmed, beginning his service on December 19, 1974. He became the second Vice President to be appointed to the position under the 25th Amendment — the first being Ford himself. Less than a year later however, (on November 3, 1975), he notified President Ford that he would not seek election to the Vice Presidency in 1976, saying that he "didn't come down (to Washington) to get caught up in party squabbles which only make it more difficult for the President in a very difficult time..." There was some belief, however, that it was no coincidence that Rockefeller's decision was related to Ford's then-recent refusal to assist New York City with its financial troubles (the Great Fiscal Crisis of 1975 was still playing out, with the City near default). The screaming Daily News front-page bold-type "Ford to City: Drop Dead!" instantly became a newspaper headline sensation, although Ford never actually said those words, and the Daily News actually endorsed Ford the following year.

Perhaps the most memorable moment of Rockefeller's Vice Presidency occurred during a public speech at Broome County Airport in Binghamton, New York. A group of hippies started to heckle him, which obviously irritated him, causing him to retaliate by giving the group the finger, in a widely circulated photo.

Senator Robert Dole, who would be the Republican nominee to succeed Rockefeller in the 1976 election, was on hand at the speech. When questioned by an ABC reporter as to why he didn't join in with Rockefeller, Dole replied "I have trouble with my right arm," referrying to his right-side paralysis, an injury he sustained in World War II.

Rockefeller received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.

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Art collector

Rockefeller was a great collector of modern art. He continued his mother's work at the Museum of Modern Art and turned the basement of his Kykuit mansion into a first-class museum. While he was overseeing construction of the State University of New York system, he agreed with his lifelong friend Roy Neuberger to build a museum on the campus of SUNY Purchase College. The Neuberger Museum, designed by Philip Johnson, hosted several paintings collected by Neuberger and helped popularize several artists.

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Death

On January 26, 1979 Rockefeller suffered a heart attack and died. It is officially recorded that this occurred during sexual intercourse with his mistress and staff member Megan Marshak. However, there is a good deal of rumour and speculation about what transpired (see the Megan Marshak article for a full discussion of this.)

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Disposal of Body

Rockefeller was cremated at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York, less than 48 hours after his death. Apparently, his ashes were scattered in Lower Manhattan just a few hours after the cremation was completed. This was done in much secrecy and the public was not informed of his death until several hours after his ashes were scattered. Family members were the only ones present during the cremation and during the scattering of the ashes. Rockefeller became the second U.S. Vice President to be cremated, and is the only one to have his ashes scattered. (Franklin D. Roosevelt's second vice president, Henry A. Wallace was also cremated, but his ashes were interred in his family's cemetery plot in Des Moines, Iowa.) For the time being at least, Rockefeller is likely to remain the only U.S. Vice President to have his ashes scattered, as all living Vice Presidents have made funeral arrangements that include burial. There have not been any (and through George W. Bush there will not be any) American Presidents to be cremated.

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Family wealth

The Rockefeller family is one of the most famous clans in America. As of 2004, Forbes estimated that the overall Rockefeller family fortune could be as much as $9 billion. Nelson Rockefeller was worth approximately $1 billion at the time of his death.

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Depiction in film

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References

  • Cobbs, Elizabeth Anne. The Rich Neighbor Policy: Rockefeller and Kaiser in Brazil. Yale U. Press, 1992.
  • Connery, Robert H. and Gerald Benjamin. Governing New York State: The Rockefeller Years (1974)
  • Kramer, Michael and Roberts, Sam. "I Never Wanted to Be Vice-President of Anything!": An Investigative Biography of Nelson Rockefeller. 1976.
  • Light, Paul. "Vice-presidential Influence under Rockefeller and Mondale." Political Science Quarterly 1983-1984 98(4): 617-640. Issn: 0032-3195
  • Perlstein, Rick. Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the

Unmaking of the American Consensus (2002) on 1964

  • Persico, Joseph E. The Imperial Rockefeller: A Biography of Nelson A. Rockefeller. 1982. by senior aide
  • Reich, Cary. The Life of Nelson A. Rockefeller (1996) vol 1 to 1958.
  • Rivas, Darlene. Title: Missionary Capitalist: Nelson Rockefeller in Venezuela. U. of North Carolina Press 2002.
  • Turner, Michael. The Vice President as Policy Maker: Rockefeller in the Ford White House. Greenwood, 1982
  • Underwood, James E. and Daniels, William J. Governor Rockefeller in New York: The Apex of Pragmatic Liberalism. Greenwood, 1982
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See also

Template:Start box {{succession box

title=Governor of New York before=W. Averell Harriman after=Malcolm Wilson years=1959–1973}}

{{succession box

title=Vice President of the United States before=Gerald Ford after=Walter Mondale years=December 19, 1974–January 20, 1977}}

Template:End box Template:USVicePresidents Template:NYGovernorsde:Nelson A. Rockefeller es:Nelson A. Rockefeller fr:Nelson Rockefeller it:Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller nl:Nelson Rockefeller ja:ネルソン・ロックフェラー pl:Nelson Rockefeller fi:Nelson A. Rockefeller sv:Nelson Rockefeller

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