The Legacy of Wealth: Primogeniture Among The Rockefellers

Abstract

The philanthropic and corporate legacy of the Rockefeller family is visible through the heirs of John D. Rockefeller's youngest child and only son. However, between 1866 and 1872, Rockefeller and his wife also had four daughters, two of whom lived to maturity. Alta and Edith Rockefeller, while older than their brother, nonetheless were accountable to him and to their father. Early on, John D. Rockefeller targeted his son to inherit the wealth and responsibility of the Rockefeller name. Using correspondence from 1904 through 1937 between the sisters and their father, brother, and their advisers, a portrait emerges of a father and son who controlled the economic direction of the family dynasty. However, Alta and Edith did not acquiesce in silence. This article explores the ways in which the two women tried to assert agency and control their resources.