They Had A Terrible Secret
Like any wealthy family that catches the public’s eye, the Rockefellers had a rather vast closet full of family scandals. Stories of extra-marital affairs, illegitimate children, bigamy, and even cannibalism rocked the Rockefeller world.
As a result of these secrets, this family had an obsession with keeping the press and the public on their side. But there was one secret—dating back to the family's origins—that had the potential to bring this family down to its knees.
1. They Weren’t From America
While the name Rockefeller seems very American, the roots of this family are actually in Germany. The surname's town of origin—Rockenfeld—is completely abandoned today. Around 1723, Johann Peter Rockefeller immigrated to America from Rhineland. He had no idea that this fateful move laid the foundation for one of America's richest families to blossom.
Unknown Artist, Wikimedia Commons
2. He Was A Sneaky
In 1810, William Avery Rockefeller was born in Ancram, New York. He had the nickname “Devil Bill"—and for good reason. Bill was famous for selling “elixirs” and providing loans to farmers with a hefty interest rate of 12%. His favorite clients were the ones he knew could never pay him back because he could heartlessly take their land in foreclosure.
This wasn’t Bill’s only dirty trick.
3. He Played Dumb
Bill Rockefeller would do almost anything to make a sale. On a business trip in Upstate New York, he was pretending to be deaf when one of his female customers—Eliza Davidson—said to her friend, “If that man were not deaf and dumb, I'd marry him”. At that point, it was time to drop the charade and fess up. He did and the two walked down the aisle.
While it sounds like a Hollywood “meet cute," it was anything but.
Unknown Artist, Wikimedia Commons
4. He Took His Second Choice
As it turned out, Eliza was not Bill’s first choice for a wife. He was in love with another woman named Nancy Brown, who was too poor to be considered a viable life partner. But Eliza had one thing over Nancy. Her father offered a $500 wedding present. Bill chose money over love and married Eliza. If you think this makes Bill look like a scoundrel, you’re only scratching the surface.
5. They Charged Him
Bill and Eliza set up house in Auburn, New York, and had three sons and three daughters—but they also lived with scandal. Once the family had moved up in the world, they hired a maid. In 1849, officials charged Bill with a serious offense. They said that he’d had his way with this employee. Worse still, he’d used a firearm to do it.
Bill was not the kind of person to wait around for a lengthy prison sentence.
6. He Went On The Lam
Bill borrowed money from his father-in-law to pay his bail and then packed up the family and skipped off to Owego, New York. His father-in-law didn’t like that and decided to sue Bill for the money. Bill knew it was time for another move, but realized his family was becoming more of a liability than an asset.
7. He Left Them
Bill packed up and moved to Ohio and heartlessly left his family to fend for themselves. Bill’s wife Eliza was still in New York State, so Bill saw no problem with taking another wife in Ohio. This was Margaret Allen who had 20 years to his 45. Of course, this made Bill a bigamist. He also shrouded his past by living under a new name—Doctor Bill Levingston. And worst of all?
8. He Was A Scandalous Philanderer
Even before Bill took up with Margaret, he'd been betraying Eliza all along. He'd kept his previous love Nancy Brown as both his housekeeper and mistress, and the two even welcomed two illegitimate daughters. Bill never did right by the women in his life—but thankfully, Bill’s son was more of an upstanding citizen.
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9. He Was Different Than His Father
When Bill’s son John D Rockefeller turned 16, he got his first job with Hewitt & Tuttle. Unlike his father, John was a conscientious employee who even tried to abide by the law. Soon John was ready to start up a business with a partner. He needed $1,000 more than the $800 he’d saved. Dad stepped up and loaned him the money—at 10 percent interest.
Now all Bill had to do was wait and see if his investment would pay off.
Scientific American Compiling, Wikimedia Commons
10. He Profited From Misfortune
In 1859, America was split in two by a war. While this may have been a tragedy for the country, it was money in the bank for John. He made a fortune providing food and supplies for the Union Army. But making money this way would only last until the war continued. John needed to find the next big money maker—and thankfully, he did, and boy was it a doozy.
ZekethePhotographer, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
11. He Struck It Rich
John had learned to be a shrewd businessman from his father, and when Edwin Drake struck oil in Pennsylvania, John knew that’s where his future lay. John found partners, and, together, they established a refinery in The Flats near Cleveland. In 1865, the 25-year-old Rockefeller bought out his partners.
He wanted to go it alone, but not completely alone.
12. He Found Himself A Wife
The year before he bought out his partners, John ended his nine-year courtship with Laura Celestia Spelman. Happily, he ended it by marrying her in a small private ceremony. Within a year they would have a baby girl and a house on Cleveland’s “Millionaires’ Row”. Not too shabby for the son of an elixir salesman.
But he was just getting started.
13. It Was The Largest
In 1870, John started the Standard Oil Company which was soon worth an astounding $1 million. This was the largest company in the US at the time, which had control of 10 percent of the oil business in America. Three years after he started this company, a depression hit the country. While it was a disaster for most business people, John found a silver lining.
Unknown Artist, Wikimedia Commons
14. He Made A List
While many businesses were hurting from the great depression, John started buying up failing oil companies. By 1877, he now had under his control 90 percent of all the oil in the country. This earned John a spot on an impressive list: He was in the top 20 of America's richest men. Surely this would make him a very happy man. Nope, it didn’t.
Ida Tarbell, Wikimedia Commons
15. He Had Anxiety
John had spent a lifetime working long hours and making millions. Sadly, this led to depression. He later said, "All the fortune that I have made has not served to compensate me for the anxiety of that period". In other words, making money did not make him happy.
Another thing that didn’t make him happy? His family secrets coming out for all to see.
Library of Congress, Wikimedia Commons
16. He Had Skeletons
Because the public was starting to notice John, some journalists did some digging. They uncovered the fact that John’s father was of a questionable nature, and they wanted to know all the details of his sordid story. Although a reward of $8,000 was up for grabs, no one ever found John’s father.
John could wipe the sweat off his brow... at least for now.
Library of Congress, Wikimedia Commons
17. They Moved To The City
With no evidence of his father’s scandalous past, John continued to be successful. He and his family moved themselves to a West 54th Street mansion in New York City. He also moved his company headquarters to New York’s Broadway. The Rockefellers were ready to make a splash in the Big Apple.
But it wasn’t the most ideal family life.
18. He Collapsed
John had five children, and the youngest, and only boy, was John D Rockefeller Jr. In 1887, when the boy was just 13, he collapsed as a result of working too hard. The family’s solution was heartless. They sent him to their country house where he did strenuous physical labor. Don’t feel too sorry for him, though—his family was swimming in money.
Underwood & Underwood, Wikimedia Commons
19. Another Crash
In 1893, there was another stock market crash, and this one was worse than in 1870. John, however, took these hard times in stride. He seized the opportunity to purchase a 400-acre estate in the Pocantico Hills of Mount Pleasant on New York’s Hudson River—and planned to make it even larger.
But something was coming that could end the fortune of this oil-rich family.
Gottscho-Schleisner Collection, Wikimedia Commons
20. He Wasn’t Scared
In 1895, John D Rockefeller made a secret move and quietly retired from his company—but the very next year, history itself experienced a definite shift. You see, as electricity began to replace the kerosene-powered light, you’d think that Rockefeller would have a reason for concern. Luckily, fate had a saving grace in store for him.
Henry Ford put together the prototype for the first modern car in 1896. With car use on the rise, Americans would be needing oil for a long, long time. John's fortune was certainly secure, but his character was about to come under attack.
National Photo Company Collection, Wikimedia Commons
21. There Was An Expose
John's Standard Oil Company had come under a lot of criticism for holding a virtual monopoly on the oil industry. Writer Ida Tarbell’s father had lost his business due to John’s heartless dealings, so in 1902, she decided to write a scathing exposé about Standard Oil. Right at the center of this article was John D Rockefeller himself.
An article like this could turn the public against him. Little did John know, this was only the tip of the iceberg.
University of Washington, Wikimedia Commons
22. The President Came After Him
In 1906, then-president Theodore Roosevelt took on John and Standard Oil. Suddenly the public had had their fill of all things Rockefeller. They even called him one of the “malefactors of great wealth”. Just as Rockefeller's reputation was at an all-time low, a secret came out.
American Press Association, Wikimedia Commons
23. It All Came Out
Remember, John’s father Bill had married at least twice without getting a divorce in between. This piece of spicy news was all the public needed to hear. Now they had two reasons to hate the Rockefellers: Both their unfair monopolies and their loose morals. However, John's reputation wasn't completely destroyed.
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Wikimedia Commons
24. They Shared The Wealth
You see, John D Rockefeller had poured money into charity—and continued to do so. The family opened the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in 1901 and created the General Education Board in 1903 to make sure all children in the South received an education, no matter their race. Helping others must have felt good to John because he decided to do it full-time.
Popular Science Monthly Volume 80, Wikimedia Commons
25. He Chose Philanthropic Work Instead
By 1910, John had had enough—and decided to commit fully to charity work. However, there was still trouble in store for the Rockefeller family. A year later, the Supreme Court demanded that the Rockefellers would have to completely dismantle Standard Oil. They had just six months to rid themselves of all of their subsidiaries.
This was sure to have repercussions on every member of the family.
Columbus Metropolitan Library, Wikimedia Commons
26. She Searched For A Cure
In 1913, John’s daughter Edith traveled to Zurich Switzerland. But this was not to climb the Alps and yodel. She suffered from depression, and she wanted treatment by a leading psychologist. At the time, this was Carl Gustav Jung. Edith got her cure and also found her vocation in life. She ended up staying for eight years, becoming a Jungian analyst.
But Edith had her share of quirks.
27. She Had A Past Life
One of Edith’s quirks was that she chose to celebrate Christmas on December 15, because of her interest in astrology. She also thought she had a past life. But this was no ordinary past life. Edith truly believed in reincarnation and that she herself had once been King Tutankhamun's first wife. And that wasn't all.
Unknown Artist, Wikimedia Commons
28. She Believed In Reincarnation
On one unforgettable occasion, she reportedly shared, "Only the other day, while glancing through an illustrated paper, I saw a picture of a chair removed from the King's chamber. Like a flash, I recognized that chair. I had sat in it many times". Back on planet Earth, Edith’s brother John D Rockerfeller Jr was facing a huge scandal.
Bain Collection, Wikimedia Commons
29. They Went On Strike
John Jr was now at the helm of the Rockefeller business. In September 1913, miners working at his Colorado Fuel and Iron Company called a strike and walked off the job. The company heartlessly evicted the workers and their families from the company-owned towns. The workers built tents to live in and prepared to wait out John Jr.
There was going to be a standoff—and it would end in bloodshed.
30. They Burnt The Place Down
The National Guard came in to control the violence, but it soon became clear that they were only supporting John D Rockefeller Jr. Not only did they draw arms against the strikers on April 20, 1914—but the horrifying climax of the entire ordeal ended with the National Guard dousing the tents with kerosene and lighting them on fire. By the time the smoke had cleared, the tally of lost lives was a shocking 25 people, 11 of them children.
Then the situation took another nightmarish turn.
Bain News Service, Wikimedia Commons
31. They Fought Back
In response to the Ludlow Massacre, the miners rose up against strikebreakers and officials and fought back, resulting in around 50 fatalities. That's when President Woodrow Wilson took action, sending in federal troops to take control of the chaos. Thankfully, they acted in the spirit of neutrality, and the strike eventually ended on December 10.
John Jr now had blood on his hands.
Western History/Genealogy Department, Wikimedia Commons
32. They Took A Nosedive
When it came to the Ludlow Massacre, John Jr washed his hands of taking any responsibility for the tragedy. Even still, most people understood that this strike wouldn’t have happened if John D Rockefeller Jr had provided safe working conditions and fair pay. The Rockefeller family was once again taking a nose dive in their popularity.
John Jr needed help, and he knew where to find it.
Library of Congress, Wikimedia Commons
33. He Spoke To The People
Having someone handle a company’s PR was a new idea at the time, and John Jr turned to PR guru Ivy Lee, as well as future Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King to solve this dilemma. Their idea was to humanize the Rockefellers, and John Jr was soon talking directly to miners and their families.
The idea worked and the Rockefeller family enjoyed a new popularity. Now it was time for the Rockefeller name to go down in history.
Harris & Ewing, Wikimedia Commons
34. He Helped Out
In 1931, the great depression cast a shadow of unemployment over thousands of workers. John Jr did something to help with that. He began construction of the Rockefeller Center which would bring jobs to 75,000 workers and would inspire one of the most recognizable photographs in American history.
35. It Was A Dangerous Job
“Lunch Atop a Skyscraper” is a photo known the world over. A photographer caught a picture of 11 Rockefeller Center workers enjoying a casual lunch on a beam that was a dizzying 250 meters (850 ft) above the ground. Sadly, during this construction boom in New York City, two out of five workers had falls that were either fatal or resulted in disability.
Even decorating the inside of the Rockefeller Center caused controversy.
Charles Clyde Ebbets, Wikipedia
36. They Wanted Artwork
Once the Rockefeller Center was nearing completion, John Jr looked to his son Nelson for ideas about artwork to adorn the walls. Nelson’s mother, Abby, was a huge fan of Mexican artist Diego Rivera. Nelson trusted his mother's judgment and went ahead and commissioned a huge mural. However, there was just one problem: Diego was a socialist.
This would not end well.
Samuel Herman Gottscho, Wikipedia
37. It Was Anti-American
When the New York World-Telegram saw Rivera’s yet unfinished mural, they called it anti-capitalist. Nelson knew he was in trouble, but then Rivera made it even worse. Rivera himself, or one of his assistants, added a small portrait of the despised Russian leader Vladimir Lenin to the mural.
Now, it was Nelson’s turn to face the wrath of the public.
38. It Had To Go
Nelson Rockefeller decided, to avoid bad publicity, to remove Rivera’s unfinished mural. Artists protested the destruction of Diego’s painting, but in the end, it had to go. First, they covered it up and then, in 1934, workers destroyed it and carried the pieces away in wheelbarrows. It was a sad day for artists everywhere, but for Nelson, even sadder ones were coming next.
Royden Dixon, Wikimedia Commons
39. He Cheated
Nelson Rockefeller had his share of scandals. You see, when he was Mary Todhunter Clark’s husband, he carried on with other women. When Mary complained, Nelson just suggested that they live separate lives and stay together to avoid a scandal. Mary put up with it for as long as she could, but in 1962 they got a divorce.
Instead of fighting over who got the kids, they had a debate about the house.
Kheel Center, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
40. They Split Their Residence
Nelson and Mary spent their wedded life living at a prestigious Fifth Avenue address. Neither was willing to budge on the house, so Mary took the top two floors, and Nelson got the bottom. When Nelson remarried Margaretta Large “Happy” Fitler, Mary certainly didn’t want to bump into the new wife at the entrance. Luckily there were two separate entrances.
As it turned out, Mary had a very good reason for avoiding Happy.
Department of HEW, Wikimedia Commons
41. He Had An Affair
Back in 1960, Happy had a baby girl named Malinda. This was three years before her divorce and two years before Nelson’s. Many speculate that Malinda was actually a product of Nelson’s affair with Happy. And the real kicker? Nelson and Happy’s first husband were close friends.
Nelson had gained a daughter—but sadly, he was about to lose a son.
Ricardo Thomas, Wikimedia Commons
42. He Disappeared
In 1961, Nelson faced a tragedy. His son, Michael had been on an expedition in New Guinea when he found himself in a sticky situation. His boat wound up capsized. Instead of waiting for help, he tried to swim quite a distance to shore—reportedly, around 14 miles. He never made it, and no one has been able to find his body.
Most assumed he drowned—but there are other, much more horrific theories.
Government Information Service Netherlands New Guinea, Wikipedia
43. No One Knows The Truth
A tragic drowning or animal attack seemed like the likely culprits for Michael Rockefeller’s disappearance. But in 1962, the Associated Press printed a story that said that local people had taken Michael’s life and used his bones as fishing equipment and weapons. A Dutch patrolman went a step further.
He speculated that headhunters had eaten Michael’s brains. Of course, no substantial proof can support these horrifying claims.
Grimshaw, Beatrice Ethel, Wikimedia Commons
44. He Dated An Infamous Person
Michael’s uncle Winthrop, besides becoming Governor of Arkansas, had his moments of scandal. When he was in the military, he reportedly had an affair with Candy Mossler. Mossler later became infamous in 1964 for having a relationship with her own nephew and then allegedly bumping off her own husband.
Following his supposed tryst with Candy, Winthrop had two marriages that both ended in divorce. But Nelson and Winthrop’s father was having romantic entanglements of his own.
University of Arkansas, Wikimedia Commons
45. He Thought About The End
In 1951—three years after losing his first wife—John Jr married for the second time. He broke the “bro code” by marrying his best friend’s widow. This was socialite and art lover Martha Baird Allen. John Jr was ready to enjoy the last years of his life. The only thing on his mind was who he would leave his vast fortune to.
What he did with it was a shocker.
Unknown Artist, Wikimedia Commons
46. He Divvied Up The Fortune
In 1952, John Jr sold the rather large Pocantico family home to his sons. But he still had about $130 million to think about. He gave $57 million to the charitable Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the rest of it to other charities. The thing was, all his heirs were already well taken care of.
It was then time for the Rockefellers to turn to politics.
Daderot, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
47. He Made It To the Second Spot
Nelson Rockefeller seemed bent on becoming President of the US. He tried to get the Republican presidential nomination three times in the 1960s. Eventually, in 1974, Gerald Ford called him up, and he became the 41st vice-president of the United States. With this accomplishment, Nelson could now live out his remaining years with pride.
Well, that didn’t happen.
William Fitz-Patrick, Wikimedia Commons
48. He Wasn’t At His Office
Two years after walking away from the White House, Nelson suffered a heart attack and passed. The report came in that the heart attack happened while Nelson was hard at work in his office—at the Rockefeller Center, no less. When it came out later that he wasn’t at his office, the press released a jaw-dropping updated report.
What they found out, shocked the nation.
Yoichi Okamoto, Wikimedia Commons
49. He Wasn’t Alone
It didn’t make any difference that Nelson wasn’t at the office. What was scandalous was who he was with. When he had his heart attack, he was in his townhouse with Megan Marshack, a 25-year-old member of his staff. Oops. There was yet another Rockefeller about to make headlines.
National Archives and Records Administration, Wikimedia Commons
50. He Stole A Name
In the 1990s, up-and-coming art connoisseur Clark Rockefeller made a splash in New York City. The weird thing was, there was no Rockefeller with the first name Clark. In a chilling twist, this ended up being imposter and con artist Christian Gerhartsreiter, who had not only abducted his own daughter but, on a separate occasion, was found guilty of slaying his landlady's son's life. Gerhartsreiter is currently behind bars.
Of course, it's no surprise that someone would want to pretend to be a Rockefeller. However, there was also a dark side to being so rich and famous.
Warren K. Leffler, Wikimedia Commons
51. It Wasn’t Worth It
John D Rockefeller’s great-granddaughter Eileen, remembers depression in her family, and a father obsessed with board meetings. She also said that she felt overshadowed by the Rockefeller name. “...no matter what I did I would feel so small”. It’s no wonder that Eileen felt small—the Rockefellers accomplished so much.
American Press Association, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
52. They Built This City
It would be pretty safe to say that America would not be what it is if it weren’t for the Rockefellers. New York City in particular benefited from the family. They had their hands in creating the Lincoln Center, the World Trade Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art. And let’s not forget the family’s namesake building, Rockefeller Center, familiarly known as 30 Rock.
It’s hard to believe that one man and a dream started all this.
Arad, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
53. He Didn’t Quite Make It
John D Rockefeller Sr was certainly the man who made the Rockefeller name, and when he was young he had two simple goals: to live to 100 and earn $100,000. Well, he didn’t quite make 100, but he did knock the other goal out of the park. And when it came to the nation's economic output, his impressive assets made up 1.5% of it for a time.
To honor his passing in 1937, workers at all Standard Oil workplaces stopped working for five minutes. If that seems a little scant, remember: time is money.
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Pach Brothers Studio, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
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