Winrock Mourns the Passing of David Rockefeller (1915-2017)

David Rockefeller, banker, philanthropist and the last surviving grandson of Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller, passed away March 20, 2017, at his home in Pocantico Hills, New York. He was 101. He was brother to both Winthrop and John D. Rockefeller III, who founded two of the organizations from which Winrock International was formed in 1985. The third, the International Agricultural Development Service, was founded by the Rockefeller Foundation.

David was the father of longtime friend and supporter Neva Goodwin, who served on Winrock’s board for more than 20 years; grandfather of former board member David Kaiser, and great uncle of current board members Peter O’Neill and William Rockefeller. David Rockefeller visited Winrock headquarters in Little Rock and made a founding endowment contribution to Winrock’s JDR3 Scholars program, which is named in honor of his brother, John D. Rockefeller III.

David (pictured above, holding his mother’s hands) was the youngest son of John D. Rockefeller Jr., and he was, like many in his family, both businessperson and philanthropist. He was chairman of Chase Manhattan bank, the Museum of Modern Art and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a grant-making organization that he and his brothers founded in 1940. His brother Nelson served as governor of New York and vice president under Gerald Ford. David Rockefeller was twice offered the position of Treasury secretary but turned it down both times.

Rockefeller was the patriarch of an illustrious American family that is indelibly entwined with Winrock and its history, and we mourn his passing.