Winthrop Aldrich Rockefeller
Compiled by D. A. Sharpe
Winthrop Aldrich Rockefeller was born the same day as was Gene
Kelley, American dancer, actor, choreographer and director. Winthrop was born the year the luxury
liner Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, on its ill-fated maiden
voyage (April 11, 1912).
Winthrop Rockefeller is the fourth grand nephew
of Johann Philip Rockefeller, the husband of Catherina Sharp. Philip and Catherina are my third
grand aunt and uncle. Catherina
is the granddaughter of Jacob A. Scherp, the German immigrant who come to
America in 1710 among a group of some 3,000 German Palatines. Described in another manner, Winthrop
Rockefeller is the third cousin, five times removed from John Philip
Rockefeller, the husband of my third great aunt, Catherine Sharp.
Source:http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000037/
Source:http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/
"Winthrop Rockefeller, a member of the prominent United States
Rockefeller family, was a politician and philanthropist who served as the first
Republican governor of Arkansas since Reconstruction.
"Winthrop Rockefeller was born in New York City, New York to
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and Abby Greene Aldrich. He was the grandson of John Davison
Rockefeller, Sr. who founded the Standard Oil Company. His brother, Nelson
Rockefeller served as Governor of New York and Vice President of the United
States. Winthrop and Nelson
Rockefeller were the first brothers to serve simultaneously as governors of
U.S. states. Winthrop attended
Yale University from 1931 to 1934.
"He enlisted into the U.S. 77th Infantry Division in early
1941 and fought in World War II, advancing from Private to Colonel and earning
a Bronze Star with clusters and Purple Heart for his actions aboard the
troopship USS Henrico after a kamikaze attack during the Battle of Okinawa. He appears in the Infantry Officer
Hall of Fame at Fort Benning, Georgia.
"Rockefeller moved to central Arkansas in 1953 and established
Winrock Enterprises and Winrock
Farms atop Petit Jean Mountain, near Morrilton, Arkansas.
"In 1955 Governor Orval Faubus
appointed him as chairman of the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission
(AIDC). In 1956
he married Jeanette Idris.
"Rockefeller fell in love with Arkansas and commenced an
assortment of philanthropies and projects for the benefit of the people of the
state. He financed the building
of a model school at Morrilton, Arkansas, led efforts to establish a Fine Arts
Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, financed the construction of medical clinics
in some of the state's poorest counties, in addition to making annual gifts to
the state's colleges and universities. These philanthropic activities continue
to this day through the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation.
"Rockefeller resigned his position with the AIDC and conducted
his first campaign for governor in 1964.
His campaign was ultimately unsuccessful against the powerful Faubus, but Rockefeller had energized and reformed the tiny
Republican Party, and had set the stage for the future.
"When
Rockefeller made his second run in 1966 only 11% of Arkansans considered
themselves Republicans. But the
people of Arkansas had grown tired of Orval Faubus,
after six terms as Governor, and as head of the Democratic "machine." Democrats themselves seemed to be
more interested in the reforms that Rockefeller offered in his campaign than
"winning another one for the party." An odd coalition of Republicans
and Democratic reform voters catapulted Rockefeller into the Governor's office.
"The Rockefeller administration enthusiastically embarked on a
series of reforms, but faced a hostile Democratic legislature. Rockefeller
endured a number of personal attacks and a concerted
whispering campaign regarding his personal life.
"Rockefeller had a particular interest in the reform of the
Arkansas prison system. Soon after his election, he had received a shocking
State Police report on the brutal conditions within the prison system. He decried the "lack of
righteous indignation" about the situation and created the new Department
of Corrections, which made huge strides in making the Arkansas prison system
into a more professionally-run institution.
"Rockefeller also focused on the State's lackluster
educational system, providing funding for new buildings and increases in
teacher salaries when the legislature allowed.
"At the 1968 Republican National Convention, Winthrop
Rockefeller received backing from members of the Arkansas delegation as a
"favorite son" presidential candidate. As his brother, Nelson, was then
concluding a major presidential bid, they became the first brothers ever to
receive votes for President at the same major-party convention.
"Rockefeller won re-election in November 1968 and proposed tax
increases to pay for additional reforms.
Rockefeller and the legislature dueled with competing public-relations
campaigns and Rockefeller's plan ultimately collapsed in the face of public
indifference. Much of
Rockefeller's second term was spent fighting with the recalcitrant legislature.
"During this term Rockefeller quietly
and successfully completed the integration of Arkansas schools that had been
such a political bombshell only a few years before. He established the Council on Human
Relations, despite opposition from the legislature. Draft boards in the state boasted the
highest level of racial integration of any state in the Union by the time
Rockefeller left office. When he
entered office not
one African-American had served on a Draft Board in the state.
"In the campaign of 1970 Rockefeller expected to face Orval Faubus, who led the old-guard Democrats, but a young Turk
named Dale Bumpers rose to the top of the Democratic heap by promising reform
from the Democratic side of the aisle. The
youth of Bumpers and the excitement of a new type of Democrat was too much for
an incumbent Republican to overcome. Rockefeller
had lost the 1970 election, but had forced the Democrats to reform their own
party.
"As a shocking last act, Governor Rockefeller commuted the
sentences of every prisoner on Arkansas' Death Row, and urged the Governors of
other states to do likewise.
"In September 1972 Rockefeller was diagnosed with inoperable
cancer of the pancreas, and he endured a devastating round of chemotherapy.
When he returned to Arkansas the populace was shocked at the gaunt and haggard
appearance of what had been a giant of a man.
Winthrop Rockefeller died February 22, 1973 in Palm Springs,
California, at the age of 60.
"The legacy of Winthrop Rockefeller lives on in the form of
numerous charities, scholarships, and the activities of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. The
foundation provides funding for projects across Arkansas to encourage economic
development, education, and racial and social justice.
"Rockefeller's political legacy lives on in both the
Republican and Democratic parties of Arkansas, both of which were forced to
reform due to his presence in Arkansas politics. Rockefeller was the subject of the 2
December 1966 cover of Time magazine."
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winthrop_Rockefeller
WinthropÕs cousin,
Dwight Albert (D. A.) Sharpe
805 Derting Road East
Aurora, TX 76078-3712
Biographical
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