Elizabeth "Bessie" Rockefeller (August 23, 1866 – November 14, 1906) was the eldest child of
Standard Oil
Standard Oil Company was a Trust (business), corporate trust in the petroleum industry that existed from 1882 to 1911. The origins of the trust lay in the operations of the Standard Oil of Ohio, Standard Oil Company (Ohio), which had been founde ...
co-founder
John Davison Rockefeller (1839–1937) and school teacher
Laura Celestia "Cettie" Spelman (1839–1915).
Early life and education
Strong was born Elizabeth Rockefeller on August 23, 1866, in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
, the eldest of five children, to
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was one of the List of richest Americans in history, wealthiest Americans of all time and one of the richest people in modern hist ...
, co-founder of
Standard Oil
Standard Oil Company was a Trust (business), corporate trust in the petroleum industry that existed from 1882 to 1911. The origins of the trust lay in the operations of the Standard Oil of Ohio, Standard Oil Company (Ohio), which had been founde ...
, and
Laura Celestia Spelman Rockefeller. She attended Vassar College from 1886 to 1888 as
special student.
Strong Hall, the school's first
dormitory
A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...
, was named in her honor in 1893 by her father who contributed $35,000 toward the expense of the construction.
Personal life
On March 22, 1889, she married
philosopher
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
and
psychologist
A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and explanation, interpretatio ...
Charles Augustus Strong and had one daughter:
*
Margaret Rockefeller Strong (1897–1985), who married
George de Cuevas, a Chilean ballet businessman.
They were residents of
Lakewood, New Jersey. She died in
Cannes
Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...
, France on November 14, 1906, at age 40.
See also
*
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 ...
*
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was one of the List of richest Americans in history, wealthiest Americans of all time and one of the richest people in modern hist ...
References
Further reading
*Chernow, Ron. ''Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller Sr.'' London: Warner Books, 1998.
*Stasz, Clarice. ''The Rockefeller Women: Dynasty of Piety, Privacy, and Service''. New York: St. Martins Press. (1995).
1866 births
1906 deaths
American expatriates in France
Rockefeller family
Vassar College alumni
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