Date of Birth: May 1, 1912
Place of Birth: New York City, New York, U.S.
Date of Death: February 22, 1973
Place of Death: Palm Springs, California
Ethnicity: English, with small amounts of Dutch, German, and Welsh
Winthrop Rockefeller was an American politician and philanthropist. A Republican, he served as Governor of Arkansas, from January 10, 1967 to January 12, 1971.
He was a candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination for President of the United States in 1968.
Winthrop was the son of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller (born Abigail Greene Aldrich), a socialite and philanthropist, and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (John Davison Rockefeller, Jr.), a philanthropist and businessperson. His parents were both from wealthy, prominent families. He was a sibling of prominent businesspeople and philanthropists Abby Rockefeller Mauzé, John D. Rockefeller III, Nelson Rockefeller, Laurance Rockefeller, and David Rockefeller. Nelson, who was also a politician, was Governor of New York from 1959 to 1973, and the 41st Vice President of the United States, from December 19, 1974 to January 20, 1977.
His ancestry was English, with small amounts of Dutch, German, and Welsh.
Winthrop’s patrilineal ancestry can be traced back to Johann Peter Rockefeller, who was born, c. 1681, in Westerwald, Kurpfalz, Heiliges Römisches Reich, Germany.
Winthrop’s paternal grandfather was John D. Rockefeller (John Davison Rockefeller, the son of William Avery Rockefeller and Elizabeth “Eliza” Davison). John co-founded the Standard Oil Company. William was the son of Godfrey Lewis Rockefeller and Lucy Avery. Elizabeth was the daughter of John Davison and Sytje/Sycha “Cynthia” Selover.
Winthrop’s paternal grandmother was Laura Spelman Rockefeller (born Laura Celestia Spelman, the daughter of Harvey Buel Spelman and Lucy Henry). Laura was an abolitionist, philanthropist, and schoolteacher. Harvey was the son of Samuel Buel Spelman and Laura Seymour. Lucy was the daughter of William Henry and Rachel Frary.
Winthrop’s maternal grandfather was Nelson W. Aldrich (Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich, the son of Anan Evans Aldrich and Abby Ann Burgess). Nelson Aldrich was a prominent politician, who was a Member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, from 1875 to 1876, a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Rhode Island, from 1879 to 1881, and a U.S. Senator from Rhode Island, from 1881 to 1911. Winthrop’s great-grandfather Anan was the son of Job Aldrich and Jane Libby Jones. Winthrop’s great-grandmother Abby was the daughter of Gideon Burgess and Phoebe/Phebe Williams.
Winthrop’s maternal grandmother was Abigail “Abby” Pearce/Pierce Truman Chapman (the daughter of Francis Morgan Chapman and Lucy Anne Truman). Francis was the son of Amos Chapman and Amy Morgan. Lucy was the daughter of Jonathan Truman and Mary Willet/Willett.
Winthrop was a descendant of William Brewster (c. 1566-1644), a Mayflower passenger and noted Pilgrim. Among many of William’s other descendants are actors Jordana Brewster, Chevy Chase, Seth MacFarlane, and Brandon Routh, and Massachusetts Governor William Weld.
Sources: Genealogies of Winthrop Rockefeller – https://www.geni.com
http://www.wikitree.com
http://www.findagrave.com
Genealogy of Winthrop Rockefeller (through Winthrop’s brother, Nelson Rockefeller) – https://famouskin.com