Philanthropist David Rockefeller Dies At 101

POCANTICO HILLS, NY — Banker and philanthropist David Rockefeller died Monday, March 20, at his Pocantico Hills home at the age of 101.

He was the last surviving grandson of John D. Rockefeller, the Standard Oil Company tycoon, the New York Times said, and his death was confirmed by a family spokesman.

The cause of death was congestive heart failure, Bloomberg reported.

Rockefeller was frequently listed among the wealthiest people in the world by Forbes Magazine. Rockefeller, who died the day the 2017 list of the world's billionaires was published, was the oldest of the Hudson Valley residents on the list. He is there at No. 581, with a net worth of 3.3 billion.

The list of Rockefeller's accomplishments as a businessman and philanthropist is staggering.

He was the head of Chase Manhattan — often known as the Rockefeller Bank — where he worked for 35 years. He helped create the World Trade Center. He chaired the Museum of Modern Art — founded by his mother — donating at least $100 million to museum. He gave a similar amount to Rockefeller University, which his grandfather, John D. Rockefeller Sr., founded, and is considered one of the great research institutions.

His brother, the late Nelson A. Rockefeller, was a four-time governor of New York and served as vice president under President Gerald Ford.

His commitment to New York was life-long, from his years working for Mayor Fiorello La Guardia to the mid-1970s when he helped lead the efforts to rescue the city from bankruptcy to his many charitable contributions to New York institutions.

David Rockefeller, according to the Times, went to his 56th-floor Rockefeller Center office in Midtown Manhattan into his 90s; some of his art collection, which numbered more than 15,000 pieces, decorated its walls. His famed Rolodex, with more than 150,000 names, had its own room.

In 2015, Rockefeller donated $4 million to establish an operating endowment to support the Rockefeller State Park Preserve, located in Pleasantville in Westchester County.

At the time, Rockefeller said his family had been engaged in the creation of parks throughout the country for more than a century.

“It is my hope that this contribution will make Rockefeller State Park Preserve more accessible and enjoyable for everyone,” he said in a statement.

In 1998, Rockefeller was awarded nation’s highest civilian honor — the Presidential Medal of Freedom — by President Bill Clinton.

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