Nelson Rockefeller

Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was an American businessman, public official, philanthropist, and Republican politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States. A member of the wealthy Rockefeller family, he spent much of his career combining business and public service, particularly in international affairs and later in New York State politics. He served four terms as governor of New York before Gerald Ford selected him to become vice president after the resignation of Spiro Agnew and Ford's accession to the presidency.

Rockefeller was born into one of America's most prominent families. His father, John D. Rockefeller Jr., was a major philanthropist and businessman, while his mother, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, was a prominent patron of the arts and a member of the Aldrich family. Nelson attended Lincoln School in New York City and Dartmouth College, graduating in 1930. His family's wealth gave him opportunities in business and public affairs, but he developed an early interest in government and international relations.

Rockefeller entered public service during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1940 he became Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, where he worked to strengthen relations between the United States and Latin American nations during the Second World War. He later served as Assistant Secretary of State for American Republic Affairs. Under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Rockefeller served as Under Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare and later as a special assistant to the president for foreign affairs.

Rockefeller's principal political career came in New York. He was elected governor in 1958 and took office in January 1959, eventually winning reelection three times and serving until the end of 1973. He became a nationally prominent Republican and sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1960, 1964, and 1968, but did not become the party's nominee. After Gerald Ford became president in 1974, Ford nominated Rockefeller for vice president under the newly established procedures of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment. Congress confirmed him, and Rockefeller took the oath of office on December 19, 1974. As vice president, he played a significant role in domestic policy and chaired the commission that investigated allegations concerning CIA domestic activities.

Rockefeller left the vice presidency in January 1977 when Jimmy Carter succeeded Ford as president. He returned to private life, continuing his interests in art, philanthropy, and public affairs. He died suddenly of a heart attack in New York City on January 26, 1979, at the age of seventy.

Rockefeller's legacy rests particularly on his long governorship of New York, his influence within the moderate wing of the Republican Party, his support for government programs and the arts, and his role in the development of the modern vice presidency. His appointment also demonstrated the Twenty-Fifth Amendment's new mechanism for filling a vice-presidential vacancy.