This series reflects primarily the activities of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., but significant documentation on the political and civic concerns of each of his sons is also present. In addition to extensive files on family support of the Republican Party on the national, state, and local level, separate folders exist on specific candidates, such as President Dwight D. Eisenhower, New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, and New York Governor Thomas Dewey. There are substantial files on family support for Nelson Rockefeller during his first gubernatorial campaign and immediately afterward. However, very little material exists in this series on his presidential effort in 1960.
Search Results
The Cultural Interests series reflects the Rockefeller family's involvement and contributions in the areas of the arts, museums, parks, and historic restorations. The series contains correspondence between members of the Rockefeller family and the Family Office Staff on the one hand, and officials and members of the various institutions and organizations on the other. Most of the material concerns unsolicited appeals for donations. Some members of the family were also members of or were active in several of the organizations, and some of the correspondence reflects this activity.
Office of the Messrs. Rockefeller records, Economic Reform Interests, Series F, 1894-1961 10.64 Cubic Feet
The Office of the Messrs. Rockefeller (OMR) materials document the increasing role assumed by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. in the management of Rockefeller affairs and amply document his business and philanthropic affairs. They also chronicle the entrance of JDR Jr.'s sons, John D. 3rd, Nelson A., Laurance S., Winthrop, and David, into the world of business, philanthropy, civic leadership, and politics as they joined the office.
Office of the Messrs. Rockefeller records, Educational Interests, Series G, 1896-1961 52.35 Cubic Feet
The files found in this series include correspondence by members of the Rockefeller family and their representatives and the officials of various institutions. Most of the material is unsolicited requests for aid. The material on institutions in which the family took an active interest, such as the International Houses, includes analysis, reports, general correspondence, contributions, and administration.
Office of the Messrs. Rockefeller records, Friends and Services, Series H, 1886-1961 71.39 Cubic Feet
The Friends and Services series is primarily John D. Rockefeller, Jr.'s personal correspondence with his friends and relations. Other files deal with a variety of support, service, and administrative activities such as the operation of the Family Office, family membership in social clubs, family doctors, management of family garages and stables, and arrangement for the biographies of John D. Rockefeller and John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
The Homes series documents the management of four of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.'s and John D. Rockefeller, Jr.'s estates and their New York City homes. The estates are Ormond Beach, Florida; Lakewood, New Jersey; Pocantico Hills, New York; and Seal Harbor, Maine. The New York City homes are 4, 10, and 12 West 54th Street and the apartment at 740 Park Avenue. There is also information regarding John D. Rockefeller 3rd's apartment at One Beekman Place. Most of the material deals with property purchases, employees, the construction of homes, out buildings, and private roads, relations with neighbors and local communities, the contents of the houses (particularly art collections), and the general maintenance and operation of the various homes. The correspondence is between members of the family and the family office on the one hand, and estate managers, employees, contractors, real estate agents, neighbors, members of the various communities, and art dealers on the other.
The Housing Files comprise 8 cubic feet of material covering the years 1896-1962. The bulk of the material relates to John D. Rockefeller, Jr.'s activities in the housing field during the 1920s and 1930s. However, there are significant sections which detail the interests of Mr. Rockefeller, Sr. in Cleveland and New York City, and David Rockefeller in the Morningside Heights project. A few scattered files cover the activities of Messrs. John, Nelson, and Laurance Rockefeller in this field. Substantively, these files deal with Mr. Rockefeller, Jr.'s involvement with housing reform and housing projects during two distinct time periods: the period of great optimism and activity during the 1920s, and the period of destabilization and disengagement from the field after the coming of the New Deal and into the 1940s.
Office of the Messrs. Rockefeller records, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Personal papers, Series Z, 1858-1961 (Bulk, 1879-1961), bulk 1879-1961 30.55 Cubic Feet
The Office of the Messrs. Rockefeller (OMR) materials document the increasing role assumed by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. in the management of Rockefeller affairs and amply document his business and philanthropic affairs. They also chronicle the entrance of JDR Jr.'s sons, John D. 3rd, Nelson A., Laurance S., Winthrop, and David, into the world of business, philanthropy, civic leadership, and politics as they joined the office.
Office of the Messrs. Rockefeller records, John D. Rockefeller, Sr., Series A, 1819-1968, bulk 1910-1931 28.88 Cubic Feet
This series consists of all material relating to John D. Rockefeller that could not be placed in the John D. Rockefeller papers (FA002) due to limitations of date and type of material. Of special interest are the correspondence files, including those related to boards, the Rockefeller family, and investments; and the files on the Forest Hill, Golf House, and Pocantico Hills properties.
The 35 boxes in this series cover the years 1898-1961. The Messrs. Rockefeller, Sr. and Jr., Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, Abby Rockefeller Mauze, the five brothers, and their spouses are all represented in this series. Mr. Rockefeller, Jr., John D. 3rd, and Laurance S. Rockefeller are have the most connection to thse records.
The Office of the Messrs. Rockefeller (OMR) materials document the increasing role assumed by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. in the management of Rockefeller affairs and amply document his business and philanthropic affairs. They also chronicle the entrance of JDR Jr.'s sons, John D. 3rd, Nelson A., Laurance S., Winthrop, and David, into the world of business, philanthropy, civic leadership, and politics as they joined the office.
Office of the Messrs. Rockefeller records, Religious Interests, Series N, 1894-1962 40.77 Cubic Feet
The Religious Interests series reflects the Rockefeller family's interest in and contributions to various churches and religious organizations. The files contain correspondence between members of the family and the family office, as well as officials and members of the various religious institutions. In some cases, the files include financial information on the appealing institutions. The miscellaneous files generally contain unsolicited appeals for donations. The series illustrates family contributions to religious organizations up to 1962. The contributions were made to a wide spectrum of organizations and activities, such as missionary movements, interdenominational cooperation, and religious education.
The Boards represented in this series are the most important philanthropies that have been developed from the Rockefeller fortune: the Bureau of Social Hygiene; the China Medical Board of the Rockefeller Foundation and its successor, the China Medical Board, Inc.; the Davison Fund; the General Education Board; the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial; the Rockefeller Brothers Fund; the Rockefeller Foundation; the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research (now known as Rockefeller University); the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission; the Sealantic Fund; and the Spelman Fund of New York.
Office of the Messrs. Rockefeller records, Welfare Interests - General Files, Series P, 1894-1961 1920-1939 22.2 Cubic Feet
The materials in this series represent the Rockefeller family's involvement over the course of more than half a century with mainstream charitable and philanthropic organizations. With certain important exceptions, these papers focus on maintenance organizations, i.e., groups handling the chronic problems of the disabled, alcoholics, juvenile delinquents, orphans, the elderly, and the sick. For this reason, much of the correspondence and other material contained here is of a routine nature and constitutes what was once called the "citizenship" obligations of the Rockefeller family.
Office of the Messrs. Rockefeller records, Welfare Interests - Youth, Series R, 1897-1961 17.95 Cubic Feet
This series contains 47 boxes of documents covering the years 1897 to 1961. This is a companion series to the Welfare General material and reflects the interest of the Rockefeller family, in particular John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and John D. Rockefeller 3rd, with issues and organizations specifically focused on American youth. The involvement of Mr. Rockefeller Jr. with the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) dominates this series, accounting for 27 of the 47 boxes. The substantial material on these two organizations reflects both Mr. Rockefeller's strong Christian background and his choice of these agencies as the philanthropic vehicle for a variety of activities--missionary outreach, settlement work, sex education lectures, urban recreation, and the Training Camp activities during the World War I. However, most of the material in this series describes the support given to local Ys in the United States and abroad. The strong interest of Laurance S. Rockefeller and Mary French Rockefeller in the work of the YMCA and YWCA also is evident from these documents.
The World Affairs series reflects the Rockefeller family's contributions toward national defense and international relations. The series is divided into seven sections: Foreign Policy, including the Foreign Policy Association and the Council on Foreign Relations; Institute of Pacific Relations; National Defense, which includes material on war preparedness, veteran's organizations, civil defense, the Commander Byrd expeditions and the New York City Airport Authority; Post-War Reconstruction; Peace Plans, which contains material on peace organizations, the League of Nations and the United Nations (including material on John D. Rockefeller, Jr.'s gift of the site for the United Nations headquarters); War Relief; and National War Fund.
Comment on paper #010494.
Contains a 28 l. memo "Hispanics," discussing Ford Foundation funding on behalf of Hispanic-Americans as well as recommendations for future plans; a 4 l. summary of the memo; and an 11 l. paper "Can We Dare to be Multi-lingual?" which was delivered at the W
Philanthropy Learning Group, February 26-27, 2002, Pocantico -- Tarrytown, NY (Reports 016140), 2002
This report examines 20 years of grantmaking to new philanthropies. The purpose was to learn from the past how best to serve future emerging philanthropies.