Avery Rockefeller (September 11, 1903 – May 22, 1986) was an American investment banker and conservationist who was a member of the

Rockefeller family The Rockefeller family ( ) is an American Industrial sector, industrial, political, and List of banking families, banking family that owns one of the world's largest fortunes. The fortune was made in the History of the petroleum industry in th ...

Early life

Rockefeller was born on September 11, 1903, to Percy Avery Rockefeller and Isabel Goodrich Stillman. His paternal grandparents were William Avery Rockefeller Jr. and Almira Geraldine Goodsell. His maternal grandfather was James Jewett Stillman (1850–1918), the chairman of the board of directors of the National City Bank. His father's brother, William Goodsell Rockefeller (1870–1922), married his mother's sister, Elsie Stillman (1872–1935). He attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, graduating in 1926.

Career

In 1928, Rockefeller joined the storied J. Henry Schroder Banking Corporation and became Assistant Treasurer in 1931. On July 8, 1936, Rockefeller co-founded Schroder, Rockefeller & Co., Inc. Its purpose was to take over the underwriting and general securities business formerly carried out by the J. Henry Schroder Banking Corporation. The firm had a capital of $3,000,000. Its first President, Carlton P. Fuller, was former vice president of the J. Henry Schroder Banking Corporation. The original stock holders were Rockfeller, Fuller, Gerald E. Donovan, John. L. Simpson, Frederick B. Adams and the J. Henry Schroder Banking Corporation itself. He served as vice president and later president of Schroder, Rockefeller & Co. In 1961, James E. Madden was appointed as president and Avery Rockefeller was appointed as chairman of the board. Rockefeller retired in 1967 and the company was merged into the J. Henry Schroder Banking Corporation. In 1950, he was elected a director of J. Henry Schroder Banking Corporation, and served until 1970. He was also a director of the Air Reduction Company, the J. Henry Schroder Bank & Trust Company.

Philanthropy

Rockefeller founded the Wild Wings Foundation, a conservation organization with projects in

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

and the

Adirondacks The Adirondack Mountains ( ) are a massif of mountains in Northeastern New York (state), New York which form a circular dome approximately wide and covering about . The region contains more than 100 peaks, including Mount Marcy, which is the hi ...

Personal life

On September 20, 1923, Rockefeller secretly married Anna Griffith Mark (1906–1996), whose father was steel manufacturer Clayton Mark (1858–1936). Following the marriage, the newlyweds eloped, planning to complete their education before telling their parents. However, the arrival of their first child in 1924 forced them to reveal the marriage. By his wife Anna he had three children: * Avery Rockefeller Jr. (1924–1979), who married Lucia Peavy Ewing, daughter of Sherman Ewing, in 1948. * Ann Rockefeller (b. 1926 – d. 2023), who married Edward Scales Elliman (1923–2009), son of Douglas Elliman, president of the same real estate company. * Joan Rockefeller (1931–1992), who married David Hunter McAlpin Jr. (1928–2022), a minister, in 1953. Avery, like his father, had a large collection of jewelry and valuable items. In 1935, Avery's home was looted of jewelry, only a few years after his father's house had been looted. Rockefeller died of a heart attack at his home in Overhills, North Carolina on May 22, 1986.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rockefeller, Avery 1903 births 1986 deaths Businesspeople from Manhattan Rockefeller family Yale University alumni