The surname Rockefeller has long been heard by everyone and is associated with countless wealth, which is completely justified. John Rockefeller is an American billionaire. Made history as the most rich man in the world. He founded the empire of the family oil business, laid the foundation for the powerful Rockefeller clan, which is still flourishing. In our article, we will talk about one of his descendants. So who is Rockefeller David?
David's childhood
Grandfather John's beloved grandson was born on June 12, 1915 (yes, in 2015 the tycoon celebrated his centenary) in New York. Ever since childhood, David was inculcated with the ability to know the value of money, the ability to earn and accumulate money. Children for their creative affairs received incentive dollar bonuses. Paid for good school, home help and good behavior. Even the rejection of sweets had its own monetary reward, which increased every day as one abstained from sweets. It was also customary in the family to fine children for being late and missteps. It is also noteworthy that each child had a personal account book for accounting for expenses and income.
Moreover, when the children reached the age of majority, the head of the family offered them a “deal” - two and a half thousand dollars for quitting smoking, alcohol and an additional amount if the children adhered to this rule until the age of 25. Huge money by the standards of those times. And today it is quite a considerable amount, especially for young people.
Rockefeller David: Education, Career, and Power
The Rockefeller family received great attention to education of children - after graduating from a private school, young David was able to enter Harvard without obstacles, then get a doctorate in economics at the University of Chicago. During his studies, the young man made useful contacts, which helped him a lot at the beginning of his political career.
The Second World War determined the life of David. Having entered the service of an ordinary and having risen to the rank of officer, he ended up in Algeria, where he began to build an intelligence network. Here, and then in France, he learned to build relationships with various people, influential and not very, to find compromises and be a diplomat.
The experience of building business relations helped David in his future career - after the war he got a job as an ordinary employee in his uncle's bank, Chase Bank. After 12 years of work, he became vice chairman of the institution. His career did not end there - after the union of Chase Bank with the largest Manhattan Bank, David Rockefeller, whose photo is presented in our article, became vice-chairman of the Board of Directors, and later on as its president.
Career development
Actively developing his career and family business, the man did not forget to simultaneously expand the sphere of his influence and connection, because, in his opinion, one cannot exist without the other. Therefore, from a young age, he began to take part in various closed clubs and meetings of influential people. The Bilderberg Club (a closed community that has an unofficial influence on all political events in the world), the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission (the union of representatives of North America, Western Europe, Japan and South Korea to resolve world conflicts and problems) is a list of only the most important and influential communities.
Children
In 1940, David Rockefeller, whose biography is detailed in our article, married Margaret McGrath, the daughter of one of the owners of a large law firm in New York. In marriage, they had six children. All of them are alive to this day, except for one - Richard Rockefeller. In 2014, he crashed on an airplane, at the helm of which he himself was. The youngest son has followed in his father's footsteps and is his right hand in many sectors of the family business.
Rockefeller David is rich not only in money and connections. He has more than a dozen grandchildren. If you believe the press, then each of them goes his own way in life and does not want to "go headlong" into the family business.
Charity
There is a saying: "The more money, the more they are lacking." Not so often you can hear about wealthy people involved in charity work. David Rockefeller is an exception in this case. The New York Times has calculated that the total amount of all donations made by the richest American banker is almost $ 1 billion. Once David donated even to a university at Harvard, where he had once graduated, $ 100 million. This charitable contribution was the largest in the history of the university.
Interesting Facts
Rockefeller David, whose personal life is still interesting to many, is the only one from the entire clan who wrote an autobiography. The book was published in 2002 and has the title “Banker in the twentieth century. Memoirs".
The billionaire’s favorite hobby is bugs - once in one interview Rockefeller David (in his youth he very much resembles his father) shared that he always carries a box for the bug. After all, it is not known what interesting instance he might meet on the way. It so happened that he discovered five new species of these insects. And the collector is very proud that he was named after a rare species of scarab beetle that lives in the mountains of Mexico - Diplotaxis rockefelleri.
Relationship with Brother Nelson
It should be noted that he passionately loved his wife and was not known as a “womanizer”, like his brother Nelson. By the way, relatives did not like each other because of completely opposite characters. Nelson Rockefeller was quick-tempered, power-hungry and self-serving. He loved women and fun. All these vices even cost him the presidency.
David, on the contrary, had a calm disposition since childhood, he was always laconic and preferred loneliness.
Operations
In 1976, David Rockefeller had a car accident, the consequence of which was a heart and kidney transplant. Since then, he underwent another five heart transplant surgeries. Apparently, it is to these most important organs that he owes his longevity.
