Mary French Rockefeller (née Mary Billings French, May 1, 1910 – April 17, 1997) was an American heiress, socialite, philanthropist, and a member of the extensive

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 broth ...

. She was married to Laurance Rockefeller, son of

John Davison Rockefeller Jr. John Davison Rockefeller Jr. (January 29, 1874 – May 11, 1960) was an American financier and philanthropist, and the only son of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller. He was involved in the development of the vast office complex in Mi ...

and

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Abigail Greene Aldrich Rockefeller (October 26, 1874 – April 5, 1948) was an American socialite and philanthropist. She was a prominent member of the Rockefeller family through her marriage to financier and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller ...

. She was the mother of

Laura Rockefeller Chasin Laura Spelman Rockefeller (October 11, 1936 – November 17, 2015) was an American philanthropist. She was the eldest child of Laurance Spelman Rockefeller (1910–2004) and Mary French (1910–1997), and a fourth generation member of the Rockef ...

, Marion Rockefeller Weber, Lucy Rockefeller Waletzky, and Laurance Spelman Rockefeller Jr.

Early life

Mary Billings French was born to John French (b. December 4, 1863) and Mary Montagu Billings French (1869–1951), daughter of financier

Frederick Billings Frederick H. Billings (September 27, 1823 – September 30, 1890) was an American lawyer, financier, and politician. He is best known for his legal work on land claims during the early years of California's statehood and his presidency of the ...

. Her mother was an heiress while her father was a lawyer, and the couple married in 1907. John was the son of Warren Converse French and Sarah Ann Steele. Mary's mother (the elder Mary) was a society figure and maintained an apartment with her sister on

Madison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Str ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

before she married. Mary (the younger) had two siblings, an older brother John (1909–1984) and a younger sister Elizabeth, who went by "Liz" (1912–1976). John had been a roommate of

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 ...

while both attended

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

. The French children were born into "wealth and privilege", though Mary tried to live an unostentatious lifestyle as an adult. Through her mother, the younger Mary was a tenth generation descendant of Major Simon Willard, a Massachusetts historical figure.

Personal life

Mary met Laurance S. Rockefeller in 1927. On August 15, 1934, Mary married Laurance at the First Congregational Church of Woodstock, Vermont, located on Elm Street. The ceremony was officiated by Reverend Herbert Hines and was attended by approximately 300 guests, followed by a reception at " The Hills", Mary's estate at the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller compound. Together Mary and Laurance had: *

(1936–2015) * Marion Rockefeller Weber (born 1938) * Lucy Rockefeller Waletzky (born 1941) * Laurance "Larry" Spelman Rockefeller Jr. (born 1944) On April 17, 1997, she fell in her apartment in Manhattan and died later the same day at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. Mary was 86 years old at the time of her death, and according to a Rockefeller family spokesman, she was in "failing health" for several years before her death.

Philanthropy

Mary worked closely with her husband on a number of philanthropic projects, mostly focused on conservationism and donation of their money, estates and time. At the age of 41, Mary inherited what is now known as the

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in Woodstock, Vermont. The park preserves the Marsh-Billings House, as well as the site where Frederick Billings established a managed forest and a ...

from her parents when her mother died in 1951, who had inherited it from her father Frederick. The estate included a mansion, dairy farm, and extensive grounds. In 1992, Mary and Laurance donated the property to the state and it was made into a National Historic Park.

Lady Bird Johnson Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson (''née'' Taylor; December 22, 1912 – July 11, 2007) was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 as the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson. She previously served as Second Lady from 1961 to 1963 whe ...

dedicated the house in a special ceremony. Mary was an ardent supporter of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), carrying on the tradition from her mother who was also involved with the organization. In 1951 she joined the YWCA National Board, then was vice-chairman and then chairman of the YWCA's international division from 1955 to 1973. From 1958 to 1964, she was chairman of the YWCA's World Service Council, followed by being elected to the YWCA Board of Trustees in 1988. Together with her husband, Mary flew over 50,000 miles for YWCA activities around the world. The Mary French Rockefeller Educational Center is located at Camp Greenkill, Huguenot, New York.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rockefeller, Mary French 1910 births 1997 deaths American conservationists Philanthropists from New York (state) People from Manhattan Vassar College alumni Rockefeller family Wildlife Conservation Society people Activists from New York (state) Accidental deaths in New York (state)