Current region | New York City, New York; Atlanta, Georgia; Charleston, West Virginia; Cincinnati, Ohio; Dallas, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; United States |
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Place of origin | Germany |
Connected families |
McCormick family Dudley–Winthrop family |
Estate | Kykuit |
The Rockefeller family (/ˈrɒkəfɛlər/) is an American industrial, political, and banking family that made one of the world's largest fortunes in the oil business during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with John D. Rockefeller and his brother William Rockefeller primarily through Standard Oil. The family is also known for its long association with and control of Chase Manhattan Bank. They are considered to be one of the most powerful families, if not the most powerful family, in the history of the United States.
One of the founding members of the Rockefeller family was businessman William Rockefeller Sr. born in Granger, New York, to a Protestant family. He had six children with his first wife Eliza Davison, the most prominent of which were oil tycoons John Davison Rockefeller and William Rockefeller, co-founders of Standard Oil. Oil baron John D. Rockefeller was a devout Northern Baptist, and he supported many church-based institutions.