Abby (Greene) Aldrich Rockefeller - Philanthropy

Philanthropist and art patron, born in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. She was the daughter of Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich, and the mother of Nelson A Rockefeller. A debutante who married John D Rockefeller Jr (1901), she directed much of her generous philanthropy towards art. She was instrumental in founding (1929) the Museum of Modern Art, of which she was a major benefactor, and with her husband she helped plan the restoration of colonial Williamsburg, where she initiated the folk art collection that bears her name.

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, (October 26, 1874 – April 5, 1948), was a socialite and philanthropist and the second-generation matriarch of the prominent Rockefeller family.

She was born Abigail "Abby" Greene Aldrich in Providence, Rhode Island, the daughter of the influential Senator Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich and the former Abby Pearce Truman Chapman.

Her early education came at the hands of Quaker governesses.

In the fall of 1894 she met her future husband, John Davison Rockefeller, Jr., the sole son and scion of the wealthy oil industrialist and philanthropist John D.

They subsequently became the parents of six children, including the famed five "Rockefeller Brothers" - and the establishment of the renowned six-generation-strong Rockefeller business/philanthropic/banking/real estate dynasty:

Abby Rockefeller Mauzé (November 9, 1903 – May 27, 1976)

John Davison Rockefeller 3rd (March 21, 1906 – July 10, 1978)

Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979)

Laurance Spelman Rockefeller (May 26, 1910 – July 11, 2004)

Winthrop Rockefeller (May 1, 1912 – February 22, 1973)

David Rockefeller (born June 15, 1915)

She died at the family home in New York City at the age of 73.

Philanthropy

Abby Rockefeller was a patron of many philanthropic endeavors, most notable being her ongoing involvement with the Museum of Modern Art.

She has a residential hall named after her at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.

Colonial Williamsburg

In the late 1920s, Abby and John Rockefeller Junior were contacted by Reverend Dr. W.A.R.

The result was Colonial Williamsburg, a living history museum which has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. One of the museums within the complex, The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, is named after her.