Joseph Richardson Dilworth (June 9, 1916 – December 29, 1997) was a leading businessman, best known for being a senior financial adviser for the

Rockefeller family The Rockefeller family () is an American industrial, political, and banking family that owns one of the world's largest fortunes. The fortune was made in the American petroleum industry during the late 19th and early 20th centuries by brothe ...

. He also served as a director at many other companies and financial institutions including

Chrysler Corporation Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...

, the Squibb Corporation. He was a member of both the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

and the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

Early life and career

Dilworth was born on June 9, 1916, in Hewlett hamlet in

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...

. His parents were Edith Logan Dilworth and investment banker Dewees Wood Dilworth. His uncle was politician

Richardson Dilworth Richardson K. Dilworth (August 29, 1898 – January 23, 1974) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 91st mayor of Philadelphia from 1956 to 1962. He twice ran as the Democratic nominee for governor of Pennsylvania, in 1 ...

. He attended the Buckley School in Manhattan and St. Mark's School in Southborough, Massachusetts. Dilworth graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1938, where he was a member of Skull and Bones, and the

Yale Law school Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

in 1942. Dilworth served in the United States Navy during World War II. He was a partner of the investment bank Kuhn, Loeb & Co. from 1952 to 1958.

Rockefeller Financial Advisor

Dilworth is best known for being the leading manager of Room 5600, known now as Rockefeller Family & Associates, the family office of the

, situated on the 54-56th floors of the

GE Building 30 Rockefeller Plaza (officially the Comcast Building; formerly RCA Building and GE Building) is a skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Completed in 1933, the 66-s ...

, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, in Rockefeller Center. Beginning in 1956, he headed the family office and was the senior financial adviser to the family and its investments and philanthropic institutions for 23 years, retiring in 1981. During this time he also sat on the board of directors of the family-associated Chase Manhattan Bank and was a personal friend of its chairman, David Rockefeller. In 1974 he came into public prominence when he appeared before the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

during the confirmation hearings for

Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), sometimes referred to by his nickname Rocky, was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. A member of t ...

's nomination by

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

for the vice-presidency; during his presentation to Congressmen he outlined the overall wealth of Nelson's family. In his service for the six-generation dynastic clan, Dilworth served up until 1982 as the chair of the company that previously owned Rockefeller Center, ''Rockefeller Center Inc.'' (RCI), which is now the Rockefeller Group. He also sat on the boards of many other corporations, some of which were directly associated with the family. While Dilworth worked for a famed employer - the Rockefellers - he also had at least one notable employee working for him. In 1963 to 1964, will still associated with Dilworth,

William Thaddeus Coleman Jr. William Thaddeus Coleman Jr. (July 7, 1920 – March 31, 2017) was an American attorney and judge. Coleman was the fourth United States Secretary of Transportation, from March 7, 1975, to January 20, 1977, and the second African American to ser ...

served as Assistant Counsel to that 36th U.S. President's Commission most commonly referred to as the

Warren Commission The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established by President Lyndon B. Johnson through on November 29, 1963, to investigate the assassination of United States Pr ...

Death

On Monday, December 29, 1997, J. Richardson Dilworth died at the age of 81 at the

Princeton Hospital Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center (PMC), formerly known as the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro, is a 355-bed non-profit, tertiary, and academic medical center located in Plainsboro Township, New Jersey, servicing the wes ...

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

, the community where he lived during retirement. He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth McKay Cushing, and three children. He was preceded in death by his daughter Melissa Dilworth Gold (1944–1991), who was formerly married to novelist

Herbert Gold Herbert Gold (born March 9, 1924) is an American novelist. Early life Gold was born on March 9, 1924 in Cleveland, Ohio, in to a Russian Jewish family. His parents were Samuel S. and Frieda (Frankel) Gold. His father ran a fruit store and later a ...

and lawyer Robert L. Anderson. She was in a relationship with promoter Bill Graham at the time of their accidental deaths in 1991. His grandson, Ari Gold, is an independent filmmaker.

References

External links

Yale Obituary
1916 births 1997 deaths St. Mark's School (Massachusetts) alumni Rockefeller Center Yale Law School alumni 20th-century American businesspeople Buckley School (New York City) alumni Members of the American Philosophical Society Members of Skull and Bones {{US-business-bio-1910s-stub

Early life and career

Rockefeller Financial Advisor

Death

Further reading

See also

References

External links