Voting Station

John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

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Philanthropist

The Resume

    (January 29, 1874-May 11, 1960)
    Born in Cleveland, Ohio
    Son of Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller
    Largest shareholder of Chase National Bank
    Financed the building of Rockefeller Center
    Funded much of the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg
    First chair of the Rockefeller Foundation (1917-39)

Why he might be annoying:

    For the first years of his life, he wore hand-me-down clothes -- from his sisters.
    He suffered a stress-related nervous breakdown at age thirteen.
    He was widely blamed for the poor working conditions at the mines owned by Colorado Fuel & Iron (which he held a controlling interest in) that led to the Ludlow Massacre in which 21 miners and members of their families were killed (April 20, 1914).
    He created a favorite bête noir of one-world conspiracy theorists when he financed the creation of the Council on Foreign Relations (1921).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He gave away $537 million to charities in his lifetime.
    He received the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor for funding the restoration of several prominent French buildings after World War I, including Reims Cathedral and Fontainebleau Palace.
    Although a lifelong teetotaler, he wrote an influential editorial calling for the repeal of the 18th Amendment, arguing that the widespread flouting of Prohibition was leading to disrespect for the law in general (1932).
    He donated land in Manhattan for the Museum of Modern Art, the Cloisters of the Metropolitan Museum, and United Nations headquarters.
    He purchased and donated land to several national parks, including Grand Teton, Acadia, Mesa Verde, Yosemite, and the Great Smokey Mountains.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying