Abby Aldrich Rockefeller

Who was Abby Aldrich Rockefeller?

Abigail Greene Aldrich Rockefeller (October 26, 1874 – April 5, 1948) was an American socialite and philanthropist. She was a prominent member of the Rockefeller family through her marriage to financier and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr., the son of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller Sr. Her father was Nelson W. Aldrich, who served as a senator from Rhode Island. She was the mother of Nelson Rockefeller, who served from 1974 to 1977 as the 41st vice president of the United States. Abigail Greene Aldrich was born in Providence, Rhode Island, as the fourth child of Senator Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich and Abigail Pearce Truman Chapman. The majority of her childhood was divided between Providence and Warwick Neck (in Rhode Island), and Washington, D.C. Owing to her father's prominence as a congressman, Rockefeller was introduced at an early age to elevated political circles.

The figures that her parents entertained included Senator Eugene Hale, Senator William P. Frye, General Ambrose Burnside, and Elizabeth Bacon Custer.

Historical significance

Rockefeller was known for being the driving force behind the establishment of the Museum of Modern Art.