“DearSon”

    CorrespondenceofJohnD.Rockefeller

    Formywife;Helen,mydaughter,Elizabeth;

    andmythreesons,Stephen,Christopher,andJonathan.

    Preface

    TheLetters

    Epilogue

    Preface

    Whatdiditmeantobe“richasRockefeller”?

    JohnD.Rockefeller,Jr.,believedthateveryrightimpliedaresponsibility?everyopportunity,anobligation?everypossession,aduty.Howhesharedtheseidealswithhisfatherisrevealedinthisshortpilatioerstheyexgedover50years.

    Historians,journalists,andotherentatorshaveoffereddifferininterpretationsofwhatitmeanttobeaRockefeller.Therewereover200magaziiclesandmorethan60bookswrittenonthisfatherandsoween1896and1990.Somehadaccesstothiscorrespondehersdidnot.AmongthosewhodidnotwereIdaTarbell,whopublishedherworksonJohnD.RockefelleraandardOilpanyin1904and1905?HenryDemarestLloyd,whopublishedin1894?andMatthewJosephson,whopublishedin1934and1938.

    AllanNevinswasthefirsttohaveaccesstotheseletters.Heandhisresearcherreadover1,000letterswhichhadbeeedfromthefamilyfilesbyJohnD.Rockefeller,Jr.Nevinsquotedkeysesofthelettersashedevelopedhis1940visionofRockefellerintheheroieriterprise.Mostofthesamequotesappearinhisrevised1953versionofthebiographyofRockefeller,industrialistandphilanthropist.

    RaymondB.Fosdick’sbiographyofRockefellerJunior,publishedin1956,wasthesedstudybasedextensivelyonthesame1,000letters.Theseletters,removedfromtheirinalplathefilesandanizedologically,stituteaseparatefileseriesinthefamilyarchivesattheRockefellerArchiveter.

    Thesebiographiesprovidedotherauthorssedaryaccesstothisseries.ThelettershavebeenquotedtosupportthedifferingviewsoftheseveralauthraceGoulder,tratingonRockefellerSeniorasacitizenofCleveland,foundarichveinofearlyClevelandhistory.AlvinMoscowtracedthethreadofstewardshipandphilanthropyintothethirdgeionfromtheletters.PeterCollierandDavidHorowitzdiscoveredtheseedsofaspiracytotroltheUates,ifnottheworld.

    RalphandMurielHidyhadaccesstothelettersfortheirhistoryofStandardOilofNewJersey.DavidFreemanHawkeusedthemforhisciselookatRockefellerSeniorasthematebusinessman,whilePeterJohnsonandJackHarrfoundiersthefamilyvaluesaingwhichfosteredthephilanthropiesofJohnD.Rockefeller3rd.

    Thus,bitsandpiecesofthe1,000lettershaveappearedinprihepast50years.Thisfilialrelationshiphasbeeoprovediametricallyopposingviewsofthemenandoftheinstitutioablished.

    Thelettersarepresentedherewithoutent?theyspeakforthemselves.Nomotiveshavebeenassigned,noleplanninghasbeenattributedtopassingwordsofthemoment.Onlypeople,places,events,andthingsnotknownfromthetextofthelettershavebeeified.Onlytypingerrorshavebeencorrected

    Everyfatherandeverysonmighthopefortheloveanduandingdisplayedintheseletters.Thislove,thisuanding,andtheseitmentswerenottionbeing“richasRockefeller”.

    TheLetters

    OnNovember17,1887,JohnD.Rockefeller,Jr.,13,wrotealettertohisfather,48,whowasinNewYorkCity.RockefellerJuniorandhismother,LauraSpelmanRockefeller,werespendieratForestHill,theRockefeller’shomeinCleveland.Theso